Netanyahu Faces Allegations He Ignored UAE Warnings Before Oct. 7 Attacks

Warnings, denials, and war

Benjamin Netanyahu defended against allegations that he ignored high-level warnings from Arab allies that might have prevented the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, as the Israeli prime minister faced an election on Oct. 27.

Shlomi Eldar told CBC News that “The [worst thing] was that Netanyahu heard his warning and didn't deliver it to the security echelon,” and Eldar said the warning came from United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayedtelephoned Netanyahu 10 days prior to the attack.

Maj. Gen. Avi Gil told Israel’s Channel 12 News that “for weeks, documents were being submitted,” and Gil said the defense establishment described a reality in which enemies saw “an erosion of deterrence.”

Netanyahu told CBS News, “I didn't ignore any warnings because I didn't receive any warnings, I mean that's a complete hoax,” and the CBC account said the Oct. 7 attacks would prove to be the deadliest in Israel's history.

Gaza's Health Ministry said Israel's subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 74,000 people, and the CBC account said some 1,200 people were killed on Oct. 7, including more than 800 civilians, with 251 people taken back into Gaza as hostages.

Reporting for this sectionCBC

Internal testimony and pressure

Avi Gil said he woke Netanyahu on the morning of the deadliest attacks in its history, and Gil described “enormous gaps” between what the public knows and what really happened. Gil told Channel 12 News that “this was communicated at every level,” and he said there was not a specific warning about a massive attack from Gaza even as Israel’s security establishment recognized erosion of deterrence. Netanyahu responded in a statement by saying, “Like others, Avi Gil knew about the impending attack and chose not to wake the prime minister in time,” and the CNN account said Gil’s testimony added “fresh pressure” ahead of the election.

Gadi Eisenkot called for an Attorney General investigation and said, “The truth about October 7 is not Netanyahu’s private property,” while Eisenkot said the Israeli public was entitled to “a thorough examination of responsibility, and the pursuit of justice.” The CNN account also said Gil alleged Netanyahu prioritized the stability of his own government over the return of the hostages, including hostages that would have made it home alive.

Reporting for this sectionCNN

Records probe and regional stakes

Avi Gil alleged that at least one official record from the morning of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack had been altered inside the Prime Minister's Office, and Gil identified former chief of staff Tzachi Braverman as the person allegedly responsible.

The Times of Israel said police opened an investigation into Tzachi Braverman over suspicions that official records from the Prime Minister's Office had been falsified, and the case was transferred to the prosecution for a decision approximately one year and three months ago.

Ynet News said the dispute centered on suspicions that Braverman altered the recorded time of a telephone conversation between Netanyahu and his then-military secretary, Avi Gil, changing it from 6:40 a.m. to 6:29 a.m.

Ynet News also said Gil confirmed two reports previously published by journalist Nadav Eyal in Yedioth Ahronoth, including an alleged warning about the possibility of war delivered by former Shin Bet director Ronen Bar.

In parallel, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei warned the United Arab Emirates that “hosting the ‘Butcher of Gaza’ will not have positive consequences,” and the 361 Degree Iran account framed the statement as a message to Emirati officials to “stop the war at its outset.”

Reporting for this sectionYnetnews361iran.ir