UAE warned Netanyahu of Hamas attack 10 days before October 7: Report

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a planned major Hamas operation 10 days before the October 7, 2023 attack, according to a report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Netanyahu’s office has denied that the conversation took place, calling the report an “absolute lie”.

According to the publication, bin Zayed warned that the attack could cause bloodshed, destabilise the region and jeopardise the Abraham Accords, the normalisation agreements between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority countries. How Netanyahu reportedly responded Haaretz reported that Netanyahu responded with “relative calm”, telling bin Zayed that Israel was prepared for any scenario.

He reportedly suggested that a possible attack was more likely to originate in the West Bank. In the October 7 attack on Israel, Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Since then, hundreds of Israelis, mostly military personnel, have been killed in continued fighting in wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.

Security chiefs allegedly not informed Haaretz reported that Netanyahu did not relay the warning to Israel's senior security establishment. According to the report, former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and former IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi were not informed of the message attributed to bin Zayed.

Israel PMO calls report ‘absolute lie’ Netanyahu’s office has strongly denied the account. It said the prime minister did not speak with bin Zayed “during the period in question” and received no warning from the UAE president, the Associated Press reported. The UAE Foreign Ministry had not commented on the allegation.

The Haaretz report concerns a new book, Kidnapped: 843 Days of Abandonment, by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval. The report says the account is based on interviews with diplomatic sources and cites an adviser to bin Zayed who had direct knowledge of the conversation. Other reporting says the investigation draws on officials, recordings, internal documents and correspondence.

October 7 warning becomes poll issue The allegation comes as Israel heads towards a general election next month, putting Netanyahu’s handling of the October 7 attack back under intense scrutiny. Opposition leaders have used the report to renew questions over what the prime minister knew before the assault and whether warnings were acted upon.