Overview
- The Haaretz investigation, published this week and drawn from a new book by its reporters, says UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for about 45 minutes roughly ten days before Oct. 7, 2023 to warn that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation.
- Haaretz says its account rests on dozens of Israeli and foreign sources plus recordings, internal documents and correspondence that show the UAE warning was not passed to Israel’s top security chiefs.
- The Prime Minister’s Office has called the account an “absolute lie,” said it found no call or visitor record, and Netanyahu has authorized legal action against Haaretz.
- Former security chiefs quoted in the reporting say they were not told of any Emirati warning, and opposition leaders have demanded an independent inquiry as they press the issue in the October 2026 campaign.
- The allegation comes alongside earlier reports of Egyptian and Shin Bet warnings and could affect public trust in how intelligence was handled before Oct. 7, 2023 and spur probes, legal fights and shifts in voter sentiment.