Israeli report: UAE President warned Netanyahu of Hamas attack days before Oct 7
An Israeli newspaper has reported that the President of the United Arab Emirates warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a planned Hamas operation days before the group's attack on October 7, 2023. The claim, published by Haaretz, has been dismissed by Mr. Netanyahu's office as an 'absolute lie'.
According to Haaretz, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed spoke with Mr. Netanyahu ten days before the attack. The report states that Mr. bin Zayed told the Israeli leader that Yahya Sinwar, then Hamas's chief in Gaza, was planning an operation. The warning was said to include an assessment that the operation would lead to bloodshed, destabilise the region, and undermine the Abraham Accords — the normalisation agreements signed between Israel and several Arab nations in 2020.
Mr. Netanyahu 'reacted with relative calm', Haaretz reported. He reportedly assured Mr. bin Zayed that Israel was prepared for any scenario and said a possible attack was more likely to come from the occupied West Bank.
Hamas militants crossed into Israel on October 7, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. The attack prompted a large-scale Israeli military campaign in Gaza, which has continued for over a year. Fighting has also extended to other fronts, including Lebanon and Iran, where hundreds of Israeli soldiers have been killed in subsequent operations.
Haaretz did not disclose how it learned of the alleged conversation. In a statement, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said the report was an 'absolute lie', adding that Mr. Netanyahu had not spoken with Mr. bin Zayed during the period in question and had received no warning. The Prime Minister's office did not respond to a request for further comment. The UAE's Foreign Ministry also did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
The publication of the report comes as Israel prepares for national elections scheduled next month. Mr. Netanyahu's handling of events before and after the October 7 attack has become a central topic in the election campaign. Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief and a prominent political rival, has accused Mr. Netanyahu of ignoring dozens of warnings ahead of the attack. 'He is unfit', Mr. Eisenkot wrote on social media.
Another rival, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, stated that Mr. Netanyahu holds 'personal and direct responsibility for the failure that led to the deaths of thousands of Israelis on his watch'. Mr. Netanyahu has repeatedly turned down demands for an official government inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Israel's military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,650 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry's figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians, though it has said a large number of the dead are women and children. The war has also displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza and created a severe humanitarian crisis.
The Abraham Accords, which the alleged warning referenced, were a key diplomatic achievement for the region, establishing official ties between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. Those agreements have been tested by the ongoing conflict, though the UAE has maintained its diplomatic relations with Israel even as public criticism has grown across the Arab world.
