Disputed Sinwar Warning

Reports Suggest Secret Sinwar Warning About Hamas Assault May Have Reached Netanyahu

Former Palestinian Authority minister and senior Fatah official Sufian Abu Zaida says he mediated secret Israel-Hamas prisoner-exchange talks beginning in 2022; the talks reached discussions of prisoner lists but produced no agreement, with Hamas seeking releases of Palestinian prisoners and Israel offering measures to benefit Gaza. He says that in September 2023, Yahya Sinwar asked him to relay a warning that Hamas would put its “cards” on the table, cause an “earthquake,” and potentially empty Israeli prisons. Israeli officials reportedly interpreted the warning as relating to Hamas involvement in negotiations for the release of Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, then held in Iraq; later assessments suggested Sinwar may have been seeking concessions or delaying the planned assault, but officials have not established his precise intent. Separate reports say the warning may have reached Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu through UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed; another report alleges Netanyahu did not tell security leaders and rejected proposed strikes on Hamas figures, partly to preserve prospects for a Saudi deal. Accounts differ about whether and when the warning reached Netanyahu, Abu Zaida’s interview did not address that alleged communication, Netanyahu has denied the allegations and threatened legal action, and the UAE has disputed aspects of the claims.

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