Overview
- Late-September reporting by multiple major outlets says UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel warned Netanyahu in the days and weeks before Oct. 7, 2023 that Hamas was preparing a major attack.
- Those outlets also report some warnings did not reach Israel’s security chiefs, a detail that critics say shows failures in how intelligence was passed to the defense establishment.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu has publicly denied the reports, called them lies, threatened to sue Haaretz and other outlets, and now faces a threatened defamation suit from former Shin Bet head Ronen Bar.
- Netanyahu’s recent video warning of possible pre-election attacks prompted opposition leader Yair Lapid to demand an urgent security briefing, and the prime minister’s office says military leaders provided an intelligence update.
- The controversy is unfolding as the IDF continues targeted strikes in Gaza, including the killing of Hamas commander Izz al-Din al-Beik, while Gaza health authorities report fresh civilian casualties and growing calls for inquiries and legal fallout that could affect the Oct. 27 election.