Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Tuesday denied a report by left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz that he received a warning from the United Arab Emirates prior to the October 7, 2023 terror attacks by Hamas.
"No warning was given to the Prime Minister from the United Arab Emirates before October 7," Netanyahu's office said in a statement. What did the reports divulge?
Haaretz, in a report based on a book excerpt by two of the newspaper's journalists, said that UAE President Mohammad bin Zayed spoke with Netanyahu 10 days prior to the attack. In that conversation, bin Zayed said Hamas and its then-leader Yahya Sinwar were planning a major operation targeting Israel.
The UAE's Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, did not explicitly confirm the report but said, "When necessary, all relevant intelligence has been and continue to be communicated between the relevant entities." The UAE normalized relations with Israel in 2021 as part of the Abraham Accords.
According to Haaretz, bin Zayed told Netanyahu that the Hamas operation could disrupt the Middle East region and undermine the Abraham Accords. Prior to October 7, there were signs that Saudi Arabia and Israel could soon formalize ties.
