Recent investigations have uncovered that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received an explicit warning from Hamas about imminent attacks prior to October 7, yet he withheld it from Israel’s security officials. The findings also reveal that Israel rejected an early proposal from Hamas to release civilian hostages shortly after the attack began.
According to sources, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar communicated with a UAE intermediary in late September, stating he was preparing a large-scale operation and warning of an impending “earthquake” — a term used by him to describe a major assault. Netanyahu was briefed on this warning by Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, but the prime minister later dismissed concerns about the threat as unimportant.
The UAE intermediary reported that Netanyahu assured a high-level contact from the United Arab Emirates that Israel was prepared for any eventuality and that the West Bank posed a greater risk than Gaza. The warnings were not acted upon until after October 7, when Hamas launched its attack at 6:29 a.m.
Following the attack, an opportunity arose to secure the release of hostages through Qatar’s mediation. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani offered to mediate for the immediate release of civilians, but Netanyahu’s government refused engagement with Hamas, insisting that negotiations would only occur once Hamas was on the ground “with their heads underwater.”
A senior Israeli defense official acknowledged that the issue of hostages did not enter the list of war objectives formulated by the government on October 7. Additionally, investigations have found that Israel’s border defenses were compromised within minutes of the attack, with Hamas disabling critical monitoring systems and communications infrastructure. Military responses in several communities were delayed for hours.