Tel Aviv, 14 September (H.S.): Former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Dan Halutz has made a serious allegation against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming that potential warnings about the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack were received before the assault but were not adequately acted upon. Halutz placed direct political responsibility for the security failure on Netanyahu, saying several warning signs had emerged before the attack but were not given sufficient attention.

According to Russia Today (RT), Halutz’s remarks came after a report by Haaretz claimed that United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed had warned Netanyahu about Hamas preparing a major operation approximately 10 days before the October 7, 2023, attack. According to the report, Netanyahu allegedly underestimated the threat and did not share the information with the country’s security chiefs.

Netanyahu’s office, however, has categorically rejected the allegation, describing it as an “outright lie”. The UAE has neither confirmed nor denied the reported conversation.

In an interview with Israeli radio, Halutz said he believed that such a conversation had taken place between Netanyahu and the UAE leadership. He claimed that several circumstances indicated that the Prime Minister may have had more information about Hamas’s preparations than the security officials did.

Halutz said that if the conversation had never taken place, it would have been easier for the UAE leader to deny it. According to him, the available indications raise questions about how much Netanyahu knew about the possibility of an impending attack and to what extent that information was shared with the relevant security authorities.

The Haaretz report also claimed that Israel’s internal security agency, Shin Bet, had received a separate warning concerning the activities of then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. According to the report, Sinwar was allegedly preparing a “major earthquake” and a “terrible operation”, and Netanyahu had been informed about the warning.

According to the report, a subsequent security assessment by Shin Bet warned that Israel was moving towards a “confrontation situation”. The agency had also reportedly recommended strengthening security arrangements and preparing for the possibility of a major attack around Gaza and the West Bank. However, no decisive action was allegedly taken.

Halutz acknowledged that the security failure of October 7 occurred at multiple levels. However, he argued that the ultimate responsibility for failing to ensure that the issue reached a concrete decision at the highest level rested with the Prime Minister.

Comparing the situation to a film, Halutz said supporting actors could be blamed repeatedly, but if the film turned out badly, the lead actor would ultimately be held responsible.

Halutz also said he could not understand the mindset behind Netanyahu’s alleged decisions and that only the Prime Minister himself could explain what was going through his mind at the time.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, has rejected the Haaretz report, calling it politically motivated. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, reviews conducted by the National Security Council and the Prime Minister’s military secretary found no record of the alleged conversation with the UAE leader.

The Prime Minister has also reportedly instructed his lawyers to initiate defamation proceedings against Haaretz and the journalists who prepared the report.

It is noteworthy that approximately 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. The assault was followed by a devastating war in Gaza, in which large numbers of Palestinians have been killed and a severe humanitarian crisis has unfolded.

The allegations have emerged at a time of continuing political pressure in Israel and an ongoing debate over responsibility for the security failures surrounding October 7. Supporters and opponents of the Netanyahu government alike have called for a review of the intelligence available before the attack and the actions taken in response to it.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar