Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a direct warning from the president of the United Arab Emirates regarding an imminent major offensive planned by Hamas just days before the militant group launched an attack on October 7, 2023, an Israeli newspaper reported.
President Mohammed bin Zayed of the U.A.E. communicated with Netanyahu a decade before the assault, alerting him that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza at the time, was orchestrating an operation that could result in bloodshed, destabilize the region, and jeopardize the Abraham Accords—the normalization pacts between Israel and various Arab and Muslim-majority nations.
Despite the warning, Netanyahu reportedly remained composed, assuring bin Zayed that Israel was ready for any potential scenario and suggesting that a potential attack was more likely to originate from the occupied West Bank. The attack carried out by Hamas on October 7 resulted in the death of around 1,200 individuals and the capture of 251 hostages, as per Israeli officials.
In response to the newspaper’s claims, Netanyahu’s office vehemently denied the report, labeling it as an “absolute lie” and asserting that Netanyahu did not engage in any discussions with the U.A.E. president during the mentioned period or receive any forewarning from him.
Following these developments, Netanyahu’s office dismissed the reports as “false,” indicating that if there were pertinent details, they would have been exchanged through intelligence channels between the two nations. Netanyahu has rebuffed calls for an official investigation into the events surrounding the October 7 attack, with his office declining to comment on the matter.
The Foreign Ministry of the U.A.E. has not provided an immediate response to requests for comments on the issue. With national elections scheduled for next month in Israel, Netanyahu’s actions surrounding the October 7 attack have become a pivotal topic in the election campaign.
Critics, including Gadi Eisenkot, a former top general and a prominent opponent of Netanyahu in the upcoming election, have accused the prime minister of disregarding numerous warnings leading up to the attack. Eisenkot expressed his criticism on social media, stating, “He is unfit.” Another rival of Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett, held Netanyahu personally accountable for the failure that resulted in the loss of thousands of Israeli lives during the offensive in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of over 73,650 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
