Netanyahu was warned of 7 October events, Bennett claims

• Naftali Bennett says a report that Netanyahu was warned about a planned Hamas attack 10 days before October 7, 2023, is accurate.
• Netanyahu’s office denies receiving a warning from UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed and calls the report “an absolute lie.”

Former ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is competing against Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming general election, said a report that Netanyahu was warned about a planned Hamas attack before October 7, 2023, was “true.”

Bennett did not disclose the source of his information or explain how he verified the warning.

In a post on X, Bennett said Netanyahu bears “personal and direct responsibility” for the failures that resulted in the deaths of thousands of ‘Israelis’ while he was in office.

According to an investigation by Haaretz, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu during a phone call on September 23, 2023, that then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major operation against ‘Israel’.

The report said Netanyahu did not pass the warning to senior security officials.

Netanyahu’s office denied the report, saying the prime minister did not speak with bin Zayed on that date and did not receive any warning from him about an imminent attack.

His office described the Haaretz report as “an absolute lie.”

Bennett, however, said Netanyahu had received other warnings before the October 7 attack, including one from then-Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel.

He accused Netanyahu of ignoring the warnings and failing to take precautionary measures.

Bennett also alleged that Netanyahu did not go to the field, warn security chiefs, prepare ‘Israel’ for an attack or convene the government to discuss the warnings.

He further accused Netanyahu of blocking the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 failures out of concern that it would expose his responsibility.

“Netanyahu cannot remain in office for another minute, and certainly cannot fix the situation,” Bennett said.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid also criticized Netanyahu, saying the warnings were not limited to the UAE.

Lapid claimed that Egypt had also warned Netanyahu, along with the military chief of staff, the Shin Bet chief and the head of Military Intelligence.

He said Netanyahu had downplayed the warnings at the time, citing his appearance on Channel 14 in which he said there was “no need to worry.”

The UAE and Egypt had not immediately commented on the Haaretz report or the statements by Bennett and Lapid.

The exchange comes as political debate over the October 7 failures intensifies ahead of the general election scheduled for October 27.

Military, intelligence and political officials have described the attack as an unprecedented political, security and military failure. Some officials have accepted responsibility for aspects of the failure, while Netanyahu has rejected personal responsibility and blamed the military.

Netanyahu has led the government since December 2022. Bennett and former Prime Minister Lapid announced in April that they would run together under the “Together” list, led by Bennett, who has pledged to establish a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 events if elected.

Since October 8, 2023, ‘Israel’ has waged its war on the Gaza Strip with US support, killing more than 73,000 Palestinians and injuring more than 174,000, according to Palestinian authorities.