In Israel, claims that then-Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar proposed a targeted operation against Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar during the period leading up to October 7, 2023, have sparked political debate.
A security source said Bar told Netanyahu during a meeting on October 1, 2023, that Hamas was preparing for “something violent,” describing it as an “earthquake.” It was alleged that Bar proposed assassinating not only Sinwar but also other senior Hamas figures during the meeting.
It was alleged that an intelligence report said the individuals should be assassinated before Hamas took action and that the report was submitted to Netanyahu. The security source claimed that Netanyahu did not accept the proposal and said recent reports on the matter were accurate.
Claim that bin Zayed warned Netanyahu denied
Another claim under debate in Israel alleges that United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu about an operation allegedly planned by Sinwar around 10 days before the October 7 attack.
According to this account, bin Zayed held a 45-minute phone call with Netanyahu at the end of September 2023 and said that Sinwar was planning a large-scale operation against Israel from the Gaza Strip. It was also alleged that Netanyahu did not pass the information on to security officials and took no measures.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office denied that such a conversation had taken place between Netanyahu and bin Zayed and rejected the claim.
Israeli politicians criticize Netanyahu
The claims also reverberated in Israeli politics. Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar Party, Netanyahu’s biggest rival and a frontrunner in the polls, Democratic Party leader Yair Golan, and former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett issued statements criticizing the prime minister.
Netanyahu defended himself over the October 7, 2023, Al-Aqsa Flood operation by saying, “They did not wake me up.” The Israeli prime minister has also repeatedly targeted former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar.
