A new book is intensifying Israel's election-season fight over who failed ahead of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, the Guardian reports. The Haaretz reporters who authored Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment claim that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan personally phoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a week and a half before the Hamas assault, warning that then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who has since been killed by Israel, was preparing a major operation that could shake the region. Haaretz says the 45-minute call was one of several secured via a special phone delivered to Netanyahu, and that he reacted calmly and did not act on the tip. Netanyahu calls the account an "absolute lie" and denies speaking with the Emirati leader at that time.
The allegations arrive as opposition leaders push to paint Netanyahu as unfit for office, accusing him of ignoring multiple alerts before the attack, which killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and led to Israel's campaign in Gaza, where health authorities say more than 73,000 Palestinians have died. Rivals Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, and Yair Golan say Netanyahu bears direct responsibility and are vowing to establish an independent state inquiry if they win; his government has blocked such a commission.
Following news of the book's claims, Netanyahu's office issued a brief statement, DW reports: "No warning was given to the Prime Minister from the United Arab Emirates before October 7." The reports were also published in Haaretz, an Israeli daily newspaper, the AP reports.
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