Israel

Netanyahu Urged Gaza Calm Over Saudi Deal Six Days Before Oct. 7, Report Says

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Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of an archival January 30, 2023 U.S. State Department photograph of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seated with Israeli officials, including a uniformed military officer, along a long white-clothed conference table with small Israeli and American flags in Jerusalem; contextual image of Netanyahu at a meeting with officials, not the October 1, 2023 security meeting described in the report, rendered in warm ochre and slate-blue pastel strokes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told security chiefs at an October 1, 2023 meeting on Gaza that preserving calm there was the priority, according to meeting minutes cited in a September 25 report. The report says he opposed proposed strikes on senior Hamas figures in Gaza, arguing that action could undermine the prospects of Saudi Arabia establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. Two people cited in the report said UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed had warned Netanyahu in late September 2023 that Hamas was planning a major attack; the minutes do not mention that warning. Netanyahu's office has denied that he spoke with the UAE president during that period or received any warning.

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