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This week, Israel marks three years since Hamas launched its surprise attack on October 7, which led to the war in Gaza. As memorials are held across the country, Israelis are reeling from new revelations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been repeatedly warned by regional allies about a looming attack. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports from Tel Aviv.
KAT LONSDORF, BYLINE: Several events are being held throughout the country this week to mark the deadliest day in Israel's history, when Hamas launched a surprise ambush at dawn into southern Israel from Gaza, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking around 250 more hostage. At one such memorial on Monday, broadcast across the country, Netanyahu was speaking when suddenly he was interrupted from the crowd...
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
LONSDORF: ...By a father whose son was killed in the attack. You didn't protect my son on October 7, he yelled.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
LONSDORF: Shame, disgrace. Such anger toward Netanyahu has existed for years. But recent revelations about multiple regional warnings that Netanyahu failed to heed before the 2023 attacks are now dominating public conversations in Israel, becoming a focus not only this week as the country grieves, but also as Israelis prepare to head to the polls for national elections later this month, elections that will determine whether or not Netanyahu remains prime minister. Netanyahu has denied he was warned, calling both the international and local reports fake news and filing a defamation lawsuit last week against the Israeli news outlets that published them.
GAYIL TALSHIR: It violates the basic narrative that Netanyahu tries to tell Israelis.
LONSDORF: Gayil Talshir is a political scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She says up until now, Netanyahu has blamed the Israeli security services for failing to stop the October 7 attacks. But now these regional warnings from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt point the finger directly back at Netanyahu.
TALSHIR: So this is why it becomes a problem. This is why Netanyahu says that these are fake news.
LONSDORF: NPR has spoken to four people in the Middle East with direct knowledge of such warnings, which the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the New York Times and the Atlantic first reported, confirming much of the reporting that Netanyahu is trying to deny. The ripple effects of those reports are playing out as Israelis are preparing to head to the polls in less than three weeks. Nimrod Novik is a fellow at the Israel Policy Forum and a former top advisor to the late Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres.
NIMROD NOVIK: I'm certain that the issue of the early warnings on October 7 is going to continue to play with heightened emotions as we approach election day.
LONSDORF: Novik says he has no doubt about at least one of the warnings. He says he was told before October 7 by a person with first-hand knowledge that Egypt sent multiple warnings about an imminent attack from Gaza to several senior Israeli officials and on to Netanyahu. NPR also confirmed that warning from Egypt with a senior Egyptian official who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly.
NOVIK: This is going to be an indictment for history, not just for the elections.
LONSDORF: Netanyahu also received a 40 minute phone call from the leader of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, warning him of an imminent attack from Gaza, a person close to the matter told NPR, also on the condition of anonymity as they're not authorized to speak publicly. The UAE has not denied such a call. Netanyahu has. Netanyahu's opponents have jumped on these early warnings, saying they are yet another example of his inability to properly protect Israeli citizens. But it's hard to say whether the issue will have a significant impact on how Israelis vote, says president of the Israel Democracy Institute Yohanan Plesner.
YOHANAN PLESNER: There is much discussion, but I'm not sure that it will change any trajectory.
LONSDORF: Most voters are already deeply entrenched in their political echo chambers, he says. But with how much emotion there is around the warnings...
PLESNER: They might affect people's motivation to vote.
LONSDORF: Which could get more undecided Israelis to the polls, which, in a tight race, could potentially push Netanyahu out of political power.
Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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