Haaretz Leaks Spotlight Mohammed Dahlan, Sufian Abu Zaida, and Pre-October 7 Warnings
An investigative report published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz has reopened one of the most sensitive files regarding the period leading up to the October 7 attack. The report revealed warnings and information that reached Israeli circles prior to the assault, simultaneously sparking questions—on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides—about the channels through which this information was transmitted.
Amid the controversy following the report’s publication, the names of Mohammed Dahlan and Sufian Abu Zaida emerged prominently. This shifted the discussion from the simple question of whether Israel had received prior warnings to a more complex set of questions: Who possessed the information? How was it transmitted? And which Palestinian channels played a role in conveying it?
According to accounts that surfaced in subsequent coverage of the investigation, information regarding Yahya Sinwar’s movements and Hamas’s plans reached circles linked to the United Arab Emirates via Palestinian channels before eventually finding its way to the Israeli side.
It was in this context that the name of Mohammed Dahlan—a Palestinian figure based in the UAE with an extensive network of connections within the Palestinian arena, particularly in the Gaza Strip—came to the fore. However, the mere mention of Dahlan’s name in these accounts does not imply, in any way, that he was complicit in planning the October 7 attack or privy to all its details.
Sufian Abu Zaida also gained prominence in media accounts following the report’s publication. As a Palestinian figure linked to Dahlan’s circle, he was associated with the individual indirectly referenced by Haaretz—or identified by the alias “Coal Eyes” (Oyoun al-Fahm), a moniker used for Abu Zaida in Israeli circles.
The Bigger Question: What Did Israel Know? Regardless of the identity of those who conveyed the information, the fundamental question that arises is: if warnings did indeed reach Israeli officials prior to the attack, what transpired within the Israeli security and political establishment?
Did the information reach the level of authority capable of taking practical action?
Was it assessed as credible intelligence, or was it dismissed as part of psychological warfare or a routine threat from Hamas?
These questions are particularly significant given that Israel itself has conducted extensive investigations into the failures of October 7, and the issue of pre-attack warnings has become a central point of contention regarding political and security accountability.
Dahlan and Abu Zaida: Familiar Names Resurface in a New Dossier
From a political standpoint, it is noteworthy that these leaks have brought back into the spotlight Palestinian figures who played roles in the Palestinian political and security landscape in recent years.
Mohammed Dahlan—who left the West Bank and Gaza years ago to become an influential regional player based in the UAE—has remained a constant presence in discussions regarding the future of the Gaza Strip, particularly concerning the post-war phase.
Sufian Abu Zaida is a prominent figure associated with the Dahlan faction; his appearance in these media accounts raises broader questions about the nature of the political and security networks that operated between Gaza, Abu Dhabi, and Tel Aviv in the years leading up to the events.
A Leak That Could Shift the Landscape
What makes the Haaretz story so sensitive is not merely the names involved, but the fact that it presents a new narrative to the public: that indications and warnings regarding Hamas’s intentions existed prior to the attack, and that the problem may not have been a total lack of information, but rather how that information was handled within the Israeli decision-making apparatus.
التاريخ 10-9-2026
