Israel warned of potential Hamas kidnapping operation years before Oct. 7, IDF col. claims - report

Col. (res.) Doron Hadar, who participated in negotiations over hostages held by Hamas before October 7, told Kan that mediators said the stalemate would lead Hamas to consider a major attack. 

Mediators between Israel and Hamas had warned that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was considering launching a major kidnapping operation for years before the October 7 massacre, Col. (res.) Doron Hadar told Kan News on Thursday. 

Hadar, who participated in negotiations over hostages held by Hamas before October 7, said that mediators said that the stalemate would lead Hamas to consider a major attack.

“The understanding was that in the absence of a hostage deal, there would be no other choice, and Hamas would take a game-changing step to alter its situation,” he said.

“Over the years, we received messages, including from the various mediators, that if we did not make progress toward a deal, Sinwar was considering launching a major kidnapping operation in order to obtain other assets,” Hadar said, although he gave no indication that any specifics were given in any of the warnings. 

Netanyahu under scrutiny after report of UAE Oct. 7 warning

This comes amid controversy over a Haaretz report that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a warning from the UAE President Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) that Hamas was planning a major operation against Israel days before the October 7 massacre. 

Netanyahu reportedly dismissed the warning despite MBZ urging him to take the threat seriously, the report said, citing three senior foreign sources familiar with the contents of the conversation.

Netanyahu has strongly rejected the allegations and has instructed his lawyers to issue a libel lawsuit against Haaretz, the Prime Minister's Office announced on Wednesday. 

The lawsuit will also target Shlomi Eldar, the Haaretz journalist who covered the story.

The PMO stated that the story was completely fabricated and that there had been no communication between Netanyahu and the UAE from the start of September 2023 until the October 7 attack.