Ex-Fatah Official Abu Zaida: Israel and Hamas Were Close to a Deal Before October 7

Sofian Abu Zaida, the former senior Fatah official who last week identified himself as 'Coal Eyes' — the mediator who passed Yahya Sinwar's pre-attack 'earthquake' warning toward Israel via an adviser to the UAE president — said Monday, September 21, 2026 that Israel and Hamas had been close to signing an agreement before the October 7, 2023 massacre. Abu Zaida said the negotiations, which he described as separate from and not a cause of the eventual attack, centered on releasing four Israeli hostages held since earlier incidents in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and an easing of Gaza's blockade. He offered few additional specifics on how close the sides came or why the talks collapsed, but the disclosure adds to his account of serving as a back-channel between Sinwar and Israeli officials in the weeks before the assault.