Israeli opposition leaders have declared Prime Minister Mr Netanyahu unfit to remain in office following a report that the United Arab Emirates warned him about plans for the Hamas attack of 7 October, 2023.
Haaretz newspaper, citing an excerpt from an upcoming book by two of its reporters, reported that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke with Mr Netanyahu roughly 10 days before the assault and warned that Hamas was preparing a major operation.
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Mr Netanyahu’s office dismissed the report as “an absolute lie”, issued by what it described as a left-leaning newspaper, and said the prime minister had not spoken with the Emirati leader during that period.
Gadi Eisenkot, the former military commander who has become Mr Netanyahu’s leading rival ahead of the 27 October elections, accused the prime minister of avoiding accountability for the security failures. He also criticised what he called “pathetic” explanations, including Mr Netanyahu’s claim that he was not awakened early enough on the morning of the attack.
Naftali Bennett, another former prime minister contesting the election, said Mr Netanyahu “bears personal and direct responsibility” for the deaths on 7 October, which marked the deadliest attack in Israel’s history.
“Netanyahu cannot continue to serve in his position for even one more minute,” Mr Bennett said.
Yair Golan, leader of the centre-left Democrats Party, accused Mr Netanyahu of “endangering Israel”.
“The stories about ‘no one woke me up’ are over. You knew, you ignored, you failed, you are to blame,” he said in a video posted on social media.
‘Earthquake’
Pressure has mounted among Israelis for an independent state commission to investigate the security failures that allowed Hamas to carry out its assault.
Opposition parties have pledged to make the creation of such a commission their first priority if they win power. Its members would be appointed by the Supreme Court. Mr Netanyahu’s government, however, has rejected the proposal.
According to Haaretz, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was later killed by Israel, told a former Palestinian official that the militants were preparing “a terrifying operation” — an “earthquake”, in his words.
The former Palestinian official passed the warning to an Emirati advisor, who then relayed it to the UAE leader. The Emirati president subsequently called Mr Netanyahu, the newspaper reported.
The UAE established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020 through the US-brokered Abraham Accords, agreed during President Donald Trump’s first administration.
Mr Netanyahu regards the relationship with the UAE as one of his major achievements.
Haaretz, which relied largely on anonymous sources, reported that Mr Netanyahu responded to the warning in a calm manner.
For years, Mr Netanyahu had worked to maintain the status quo with Hamas. Under that arrangement, Qatar provided funding to the group, while Israel operated on the assumption that the Islamist organisation was more focused on preserving itself than launching a war capable of devastating Israel.
Nearly three years ago, Hamas fighters crossed into Israel in an assault that included the mass killing of people attending a music festival.
The attack killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Hamas also seized about 251 hostages and took them to Gaza; 44 are believed to have died.
Israel’s large-scale military response has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed 73,658 people, according to the Gaza health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas. The United Nations considers the ministry’s figures reliable.
Nicaragua accuses Germany over Gaza at ICJ
Meanwhile, Nicaragua has accused Germany of “multiple violations of international law” at the United Nations’ highest court, arguing that Berlin is complicit in what it describes as genocide in Gaza.
The Central American country has brought Germany before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, alleging that Berlin violated the 1948 UN Genocide Convention through its support for Israel, particularly its arms shipments.
“Nicaragua invokes Germany’s responsibility in connection to multiple violations of international law, particularly in respect of the odious scourge of genocide and international humanitarian law,” ambassador Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez told the court.
Mr Gomez said Nicaragua’s allegations concerned “the most serious breaches of obligations arising under … general international law.”
The court, which settles legal disputes between states, has already rejected Nicaragua’s request for emergency measures against Germany, including an order to halt arms exports to Israel.
The broader case remains active. Germany is now asking the court to dismiss it in full, arguing that the judges lack jurisdiction and that Nicaragua’s claims are without legal merit.
