Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing renewed criticism after Haaretz reported that United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan warned him about a planned Hamas operation around 10 days before the October 7, 2023 attack.
According to the Israeli newspaper, bin Zayed spoke to Netanyahu by phone and conveyed information that Hamas was preparing a major operation. The report was based on an investigation by Haaretz reporters and material from their forthcoming book.
Netanyahu’s office rejected the report, describing it as “an absolute lie” and denying that the Israeli premier spoke to the Emirati president during the period in question.
The report has drawn criticism from Netanyahu’s political opponents ahead of Israel’s October 27 elections.
Gadi Eisenkot, a former military commander and one of Netanyahu’s main political rivals, accused the prime minister of failing to act on warnings ahead of the attack. He said Netanyahu had received multiple warnings but ignored them and was therefore unfit to remain in office.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett also said Netanyahu bore “personal and direct responsibility” for the security failures surrounding the October 7 attack. Bennett said Netanyahu should no longer remain prime minister.
Haaretz reported that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was later killed by Israel, had warned a former Palestinian official that the group was preparing a major operation that he described as an “earthquake”.
According to the report, the Palestinian official passed the information to an Emirati adviser, who then conveyed it to bin Zayed. The Emirati president subsequently contacted Netanyahu.
The UAE established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords during Donald Trump’s first presidency.
The newspaper, citing mostly anonymous sources, reported that Netanyahu responded calmly to the warning. It also said he did not relay the information to senior Israeli security officials.
For years, Netanyahu had pursued a policy of maintaining the status quo with Hamas, with the group receiving financial support through Qatar. The policy was based partly on the assessment that Hamas was more focused on maintaining its position than launching a major war against Israel.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas fighters launched a large-scale attack on southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures cited by international media.
Israel responded with a large-scale military offensive in Gaza. The campaign has caused extensive destruction and resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza health authorities.
The latest report has added to political pressure on Netanyahu as opposition parties continue to focus on the security failures surrounding the October 7 attack.
