Overview
- Excerpts published on September 8, 2026 from a forthcoming book reported by Ha’aretz say UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed phoned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late September 2023 and warned of a large Hamas operation that went unaddressed.
- Netanyahu’s office called the report an “absolute lie” and denied any call in the cited period while the book’s authors cite three senior sources and a Palestinian adviser who they say witnessed the exchange.
- The reporting also says Egyptian intelligence and Israel’s Shin Bet warned of a major attack and that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar urged a targeted strike on Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on October 1, 2023 but that the recommendation was not carried out.
- Former security chiefs Ronen Bar and Herzl Halevi say they were not told of a UAE warning before the attack and opposition leaders are demanding accountability and an independent commission that the government has so far blocked.
- Families of October 7 victims and critics say the new allegations deepen calls for truth and may sway voters, while analysts note the claims rest on mostly anonymous high-level sources and will hinge on further verification.