Hundreds of Israelis demonstrated against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in central Tel Aviv on Sept. 27 and planned more for this week following reports that he had received warnings ahead of Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel.
They gathered at Habima Square and criticized Netanyahu for his failure to act on the alerts, Israel’s Haaretz daily reported. Some mocked his denials, chanting: “Everyone is lying, and you alone are telling the truth.”
In a joint statement, relatives of those killed or taken captive on Oct. 7, 2023 accused Israel’s political leadership of covering up its responsibility for the attack.
“Warning after warning, but every time we hear the same answer: ‘I didn’t know,’” Einav Zangauker, the mother of former hostage Matan Zangauker, told the gathering.
Bereaved families and former hostages will lead a week of events.
The demonstration followed reports by Haaretz and the New York Times alleging that United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan warned Netanyahu of a major Hamas operation before Oct. 7.
Separate outlets also reported that Egypt had warned Israel that Hamas appeared to be preparing a major attack.
Netanyahu’s office has denied that he received warnings from either the UAE or Egypt. The Israeli premier also announced his intention to sue Haaretz over the report.
The protests came as Israeli media reported that the Israeli prime minister held an hourlong meeting with the UAE’s president on Sept. 27.
One person familiar with the matter said the talks focused on a report published by the Israeli daily Haaretz earlier this month that said the Emirati leader had delivered a warning to Netanyahu about a looming attack by Hamas just ahead of the 2023.
Netanyahu asked Sheikh Mohamed to deny the report, according to the media.
