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Netanyahu was warned of October 7 Hamas attack, reports say ahead of election - ABC News & Headlines
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's explanation for the worst-ever breakdown of Israel's national security has been simple: no-one woke him up on the morning of October 7, 2023. "There were so many warning signs, so many indications that an attack was imminent," he said last month. "Had they woken me up, everything would have looked different. That is the story of October 7th. That is the story." But with only weeks to go until elections in Israel, an unrelenting stream of well-sourced, detailed stories has suddenly appeared, documenting multiple failures by the PM to either heed warnings of a possible Hamas strike, or to seize early opportunities to rescue the hundreds of hostages taken by the terrorist group. What gives the story an electrifying geopolitical edge is that the revelations over the last month come from some of the most powerful figures in the Middle East, including senior figures from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, multiple Israeli defence and intelligence sources, and sources in the United States. Netanyahu has branded as "lies" the stories that include details of secret flights and covert phone calls. But tellingly, other governments have not denied them. And now the former head of Shin...