Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lays a wreath during a state memorial ceremony in memory of those killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, at Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on Oct. 5. Debbie Hill/Pool UPI via AP hide caption
TEL AVIV, Israel — As Israel marks three years since Hamas launched its surprise Oct. 7 attacks, Israelis are reeling from new revelations in Israeli and U.S. media that the country had been repeatedly warned by its regional allies that Hamas was planning to attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was personally warned about a potential Hamas attack, and his security agencies were notified repeatedly, in the weeks and days leading up to Oct. 7, 2023, four people in the Middle East with direct knowledge of the warnings told NPR.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz , The New York Times and The Atlantic first reported about the warnings.
Netanyahu has denied he was warned, calling the reports "fake news" and filing a defamation lawsuit last week against Israeli news outlets that published them. He and his defense minister have issued new warnings that Hamas could try to attack or "challenge" Israel on this Oct. 7 memorial day and leading up to national elections later this month.
But the Oct. 7, 2023, security failure — as well as Netanyahu's repeated refusal to take responsibility for it — has become a lightning rod in Israel as the prime minister seeks a new term in national elections this month.
"You didn't protect my son," yelled out one bereaved Israeli father whose son was killed in the Hamas-led attack, as the prime minister spoke at a memorial ceremony this week for the victims.
