United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reportedly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a planned major Hamas operation roughly 10 days before the October 7, 2023, attack, according to a Haaretz investigation.
The report, citing three senior foreign sources familiar with the conversation, said bin Zayed urged Netanyahu to take the threat seriously. He reportedly warned that an attack could cause extensive bloodshed, destabilize the region and threaten the Abraham Accords.
The conversation lasted about 45 minutes. Netanyahu is said to have responded that he believed Hamas was preparing to operate in the West Bank and assured the Emirati leader that Israel was prepared for any scenario.
SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB A man takes a photo of dead people strewn across a road following a mass-infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in the Sderot area, southern Israel October 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
According to the investigation, Netanyahu did not subsequently raise the warning during security briefings before October 7. Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Herzi Halevi told Haaretz they had not been informed about the call.
Warning Was Relayed Through Palestinian Intermediary
Haaretz reported that the information originated from contacts involving a Palestinian intermediary who had connections to both Hamas and Israeli security officials.
In September 2023, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar told the intermediary that he was preparing a “zilzal,” meaning “earthquake.” He later referred to the planned action as “the mother of all surprises” and “a terrifying operation.”
The message was passed to UAE leaders and then, on September 15, to the Shin Bet. Bar subsequently briefed Netanyahu on Sinwar’s warning, according to the investigation.
Two days later, senior defense officials held a security assessment. Bar reportedly said Israel was “on a collision course” and recommended either a major offensive move or stronger defensive measures in Gaza and the West Bank before the Jewish holidays. No decisions were made at the meeting, according to the report.
After UAE leaders concluded that Israel had not adequately acted on the information, bin Zayed decided to approach Netanyahu directly.
Egypt Also Reportedly Issued Warning
The investigation said Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel contacted Netanyahu around the same period with a separate warning about Hamas.
Kamel told Netanyahu that Hamas was preparing “something unusual, a terrifying operation.” Netanyahu is said to have replied that Israel had the situation in Gaza under control and was instead focusing its attention and military deployments on the West Bank.
Israeli soldiers look at the remains of a police station which was the site of a battle following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, southern Israel October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
The report said Netanyahu did not mention either warning during a subsequent October 1 discussion about Gaza and Hamas.
A senior Shin Bet official cited by Haaretz said that awareness of the warnings could potentially have affected how security officials understood earlier statements by Sinwar, including his withdrawal from negotiations.
Netanyahu’s Office Calls Report ‘An Absolute Lie’
The Israeli prime minister’s office rejected the Haaretz account.
“An absolute lie! Prime Minister Netanyahu did not speak with the president of the United Arab Emirates during the period in question and did not receive any warning from him,” the office said.
Haaretz said bin Zayed did not respond to a request for comment.
People stand at an installation called “Empty Beds” where 241 beds representing the number of hostages held in Gaza who were seized in the October 7 attack by Hamas gunmen, in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 11, 2023. REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, however, said he was certain the report was accurate. Speaking to 103FM, Bennett said he knew “for a fact” that both bin Zayed and Kamel had warned Netanyahu about a major Hamas operation before October 7.
Bennett accused Netanyahu of failing to act despite the warnings and said that, had he received even a fraction of such a warning while serving as prime minister, he would have gone to southern Israel, met commanders and surveillance soldiers, convened the military and Shin Bet chiefs, raised the level of readiness and strengthened defenses.
People visit the site of the Nova festival where people were killed and kidnapped during the October 7 attack by Hamas gunmen from Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Reim, southern Israel, March 27, 2024. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Calls Grow for Investigation Into October 7
Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party, also said the report added to evidence that Netanyahu failed to respond to warnings before the attack. He also accused the prime minister of ignoring numerous warnings ahead of October 7 and said he was unfit for office.
Eisenkot said his party would establish a state commission of inquiry once the next government is formed. He said the commission should examine the previous decade, determine what Netanyahu knew and did not know, establish the facts and seek to prevent another disaster.
