Former Fatah official reveals new details on Sinwar's 'earthquake' warning to Israel before Oct. 7

Former senior Fatah official Sufian Abu Zaida disclosed new details in a documentary about a message from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, relayed to Israel three weeks before the October 7 attack, warning of an 'earthquake' and the 'emptying of the prisons.'

Former senior Fatah official Sufian Abu Zaida disclosed new details in a documentary aired on Al-Ghad on Thursday about a warning message from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar that he relayed to Israel three weeks before the October 7 attack. Zaida said that for more than a year he served as an intermediary in a secret channel between Israel and Hamas, opened in March 2022 after senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad approached him. Zaida contacted a former senior Israeli security official and later met with Israeli officials, including then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. The talks progressed to discussions over prisoner lists but did not reach an agreement. On September 14, 2023, Zaida met with Sinwar in Gaza, who dictated a precise message: before the end of that month, Hamas would place 'cards' on the negotiating table that would cause an 'earthquake,' and Israel should prepare for the 'emptying of the prisons.' Zaida transmitted the message in Hebrew and Arabic. He was contacted less than half an hour later to verify the wording and summoned to an urgent meeting the next morning in Ashkelon, where officials asked what Sinwar meant. Zaida said no one in the security establishment had slept that night. He returned to Gaza on October 5 and was scheduled to meet Sinwar again on October 8; the meeting never took place. The October 7 attack occurred 22 days after the message was relayed.