Haaretz Investigation: Hamas Was Ready to Release Israeli Hostages on Evening of October 7

A Haaretz investigation published on September 4 by investigative journalists Schlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval reports that Hamas was prepared to release Israeli hostages on the evening of October 7. The report also reveals that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had allegedly been warned in advance of the October 7 attack, and it uncovers lengthy secret negotiations with Hamas. Netanyahu has blocked any judicial inquiry into the events of October 7, 2023, which are described as traumatic for Israel; the assumption is that such an inquiry would expose his own responsibility for the evident gaps in the army's defensive capabilities along the country's southern border. Netanyahu presents himself as Israel's most reliable war leader against Hamas and seeks re-election on October 27. The Haaretz findings, which surpass expectations, could cost him the trust he still enjoys among his large base of supporters, and they put the Prime Minister under pressure ahead of the Knesset election.