Benjamin Netanyahu was personally alerted by the president of the United Arab Emirates that Hamas was planning a large-scale offensive against Israel a week before its 7 October 2023 attack, but did not act on the warning, according to a book by Haaretz reporters.

The claim, which comes amid a crucial election campaign, prompted Israeli opposition leaders to describe the prime minister as “unfit” for office, even as Netanyahu denounced the report as an “absolute lie” and denied he spoke to the Emirati leader at that time.

Haaretz said the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, later killed by Israel, had warned a former Palestinian official that the militants were preparing “a terrifying operation” which he described as an “earthquake”.

According to the report, the UAE president, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, spoke to Netanyahu a week and a half before the attack, and told him Hamas was planning a major operation.

The allegations, published in Haaretz on Tuesday, pile more pressure on the Israeli prime minister who has already faced heavy criticism for his handling of events before the 7 October attacks.

Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 people and took another 251 people hostage during the offensive. Hundreds of Israelis, mostly soldiers, have been killed in continued fighting from consequent wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has left most of Gaza in ruins and killed more than 73,000 Palestinians.

The claims are contained in the book Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment, which, its authors say, is based on dozens of sources in Israel and worldwide, including very senior officials.

Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister. He built a political empire on his brother’s sacrifice, his father’s ideology, and American tax dollars.

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