A report by Haaretz has alleged that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan warned Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas was planning a major operation before the October 7, 2023 attack, and that Netanyahu did not pass the warning to Israeli security chiefs. Netanyahu’s office rejected the account, calling it “an absolute lie” and denying that he spoke to the Emirati leader at the time described.
The report, drawn from a forthcoming book by Haaretz reporters, says Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke with Netanyahu a week and a half before the attack. It alleges that the UAE leader conveyed a warning about a Hamas operation days before October 7. The alleged failure to inform security chiefs places the claim at the centre of continuing arguments over responsibility for the attack, described as “the deadliest attack in Israeli history”.
According to Haaretz, the warning began with Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader later killed by Israel. Sinwar is said to have told a former Palestinian official that militants were preparing “a terrifying operation”, which he described as an “earthquake”. The former Palestinian official allegedly passed the message to an Emirati advisor. The advisor then passed it to Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who, the report says, called Netanyahu.
The account remains disputed. Netanyahu’s office says there was no conversation between Netanyahu and the Emirati leader at that time. The reported contents of any such call, Netanyahu’s response to any warning and whether any warning was withheld from security officials remain unconfirmed. The brief does not establish whether an official investigation has been opened into the allegation.
Israeli opposition leaders used the report on Tuesday to renew their criticism of Netanyahu’s handling of the events leading to October 7. Gadi Eisenkot, a former military commander and Netanyahu’s top rival in the upcoming October 27 elections, accused the prime minister of avoiding responsibility for security failures.
Writing on X, Eisenkot said: “Netanyahu received dozens of warnings for October 7 and ignored them all”. His statement goes beyond the specific alleged UAE warning, though the details of any other warnings received by Netanyahu or Israeli security officials are unknown from the report.
Naftali Bennett, a former prime minister who is also running in the elections, said Netanyahu “bears personal and direct responsibility” for the deaths on October 7. Bennett added: “Netanyahu cannot continue to serve in his position for even one more minute”.
The competing accounts leave a central factual question unresolved: whether the UAE leader made the alleged warning and, if so, whether it reached the Israeli security establishment. With elections scheduled for October 27, the allegation has become a direct test of Netanyahu’s accountability for the attack and of his opponents’ case that he is unfit to serve.
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