Gaza Genocide · updated 1h ago · 3 min read
Sufian Abu Zaida Says Yahya Sinwar Warned Israel Via “Coal Eyes” Through United Arab Emirates Contacts
Sufian Abu Zaida says he relayed Sinwar's warning to Israel via UAE contacts. The warning described an upcoming 'earthquake' or 'tsunami' before October 7, 2023.
15 outlets, one story, no spin found.
6 of 8 outlets skipped it: sinwar held one-on-one meetings with Abu Zaida in mid-September.
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Coal Eyes’ claim
Former Palestinian Authority minister Sufian Abu Zaida says he was the intermediary known as “Coal Eyes” who received a message from Yahya Sinwar warning that he was preparing a “tsunami” and that the warning reached Israel through contacts involving the United Arab Emirates.
“a message in which he warned that he was preparing a “tsunami.””
Enlace Judío reports that Abu Zaida says Sinwar told him: “Transmit to the Israelis that I am preparing a big surprise for them if they do not move forward.”
Haaretz and i24NEWS frame the same disclosure as Abu Zaida’s identification of himself as the previously unnamed intermediary in Haaretz’s pre-Oct. 7 warning report, with Haaretz saying he will soon disclose the message Sinwar asked him to deliver to Israel and details of secret contacts he mediated between Hamas and Israel before the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
i24NEWS adds that Netanyahu’s office rejected Haaretz’s account, calling it “an absolute lie” and saying he neither spoke with the Emirati president during the relevant period nor received a warning from him.
Across the accounts, Abu Zaida’s video posting on Facebook is presented as the vehicle for his claim that he conveyed Sinwar’s warning to Israeli intelligence and that he would expand details “in the coming days.”
The warning chain
Enlace Judío says Sinwar used the Arabic word “zilzal,” meaning “earthquake,” and that Abu Zaida left the conversation deeply alarmed before transmitting the message to a close associate who serves as an advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed.
In that account, Sinwar demanded: “Please, transmit to the Israelis exactly, word for word, what I am telling you.”
The Jerusalem Post similarly says Sinwar demanded that Abu Zaida convey to Israel: “Tell the Israelis that if they do not move forward, I am preparing a huge surprise for them.”
Both outlets describe a second meeting in mid-September in which Sinwar again used “zilzal” and pressed Abu Zaida to ensure the message reached the Shin Bet, with the Jerusalem Post saying Abu Zaida feared reporting directly to the Shin Bet because he worried he would be accused of cooperating with Sinwar.
The Times of Israel adds that Israeli journalist Shlomi Eldar identified Abu Zaida as the source who helped spur an urgent phone call to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed about 10 days before October 7, during which the latter warned that Hamas was planning a major offensive against Israel.
Dispute and what’s at stake
The dispute over what Israel did with the warning is central to the reporting, with Enlace Judío saying that after the information, then Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that security meetings recommended acting to neutralize the threat or reinforce defensive efforts in the Gaza Strip.
“the assessment that prevailed was erroneous”
Enlace Judío also says the assessment that prevailed was erroneous, describing that it was believed Sinwar referred to a possible attempt to kidnap Elizabeth Tsurkov, the Israeli researcher who had been kidnapped and held in Iraq by Shiite groups.
The Times of Israel reports that Abu Zaida said he would soon reveal details of the contacts he held over a year and a half between Israel and Hamas aimed at reaching a deal to secure the release of the prisoners held by Hamas, referring to two Israeli civilians and the bodies of two IDF soldiers.
In the same account, Abu Zaida says: “I will also discuss the message that… Sinwar asked me to convey to the Israeli side,” and he urges viewers to tune in to the Egyptian Al-Ghad TV channel where he would be giving an interview in the coming days.
i24NEWS adds that Netanyahu’s office instructed lawyers to file a defamation lawsuit over Haaretz’s report, while the UAE declined to confirm or deny the reported conversation, saying relevant intelligence was shared with Israel through official channels when necessary.