Former Palestinian Authority minister says he relayed Hamas’s pre-October 7 warning to Israel

As previously reported in an article by Shlomi Eldar in Haaretz, Sinwar held a one-on-one meeting with Abu Zaida ("Coal Eyes") in September 2023, several weeks before the attack.

Sofian Abu Zaida, a former senior Fatah official, revealed in a video posted to his Facebook account that he is the figure known as "Coal Eyes," the channel through which Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar conveyed direct warnings shortly before the October 7 massacre.

As previously reported in an article by Shlomi Eldar in Haaretz, Sinwar held a one-on-one meeting with Abu Zaida ("Coal Eyes") in September 2023, several weeks before the attack. During the conversation, Sinwar demanded that a firm message be conveyed to Israel: "Tell the Israelis that if they do not move forward, I am preparing a huge surprise for them." At the time, Sinwar used the keyword "zilzal" ("earthquake"), an unusual reference that was meant to raise red flags among the intelligence community.

According to Eldar's report in Haaretz, Abu Zaida left the conversation shaken and consulted with a close friend, a Palestinian who had emigrated from Gaza to Abu Dhabi and served as an adviser to UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Abu Zaida feared reporting directly to the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency), worried he would be accused of cooperating with Sinwar, but at the same time feared for his life if the information was not passed on. As a result, it was decided to convey the message directly to the UAE leader.

In mid-September 2023, another meeting was held in Gaza. According to Eldar's report, Sinwar asked Abu Zaida whether the message had been passed on. When he was told that it had not, he calmly said: "Send them a message that I am preparing a surprise from the land of surprises. A terrifying operation. Something unusual," again repeating the word "zilzal."

Abu Zaida quickly left the Gaza Strip and held a private meeting with the adviser in Abu Dhabi. After an in-depth analysis of Sinwar's body language, tone of voice, and the context of his remarks, the two reached a clear conclusion: Sinwar was not making empty threats, but intended to launch a full-scale war. Following this, the UAE president called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and warned him of the expected attack.

In a video Abu Zaida published Thursday night, he also noted that lengthy contacts had taken place between Israel and Hamas before October 7 in an effort to reach a deal. The agreement was intended to secure the release of the four Israeli hostages Hamas was holding at the time, Hadar Goldin, Oron Shaul, Avera Mengistu, and Hisham al-Sayed. In exchange, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, lift the blockade on Gaza, and work to resolve electricity and water issues, basic needs for life in Gaza, which Israel had conditioned on the release of the bodies and prisoners held by the organization.

Abu Zaida also promised to publish additional details in the coming days about the message Sinwar asked him to deliver to the Israeli side in mid-September 2023, just weeks before the October 7 attack.