Netanyahu under fire over report UAE warned of October 7 attack
Days before Hamas stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed reportedly delivered prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu a direct warning that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major attack. Which based its report on the new book, ‘Kidnapped: 843 Days of Abandonment’, MBZ spoke to Netanyahu for 45 minutes from Abu Dhabi, around 10 days before Hamas launched its October 7 attack, according to Israeli publication Haaretz. Haaretz said the three senior foreign officials were updated on the contents of the 45-minute phone call at the end of September.
Netanyahu, however, did not share the warning with Israel’s senior security leadership, according to a new investigation report. A close adviser to bin Zayed, who was aware of the conversation, told Haaretz that the Emirati president had sought to convey the seriousness of the threat. “The emir explained that, in his assessment, Sinwar was preparing for a major event,” the adviser said. “He told Netanyahu that Israel should be ready. MBZ was surprised by Netanyahu’s response, as he did not appear alarmed, according to the adviser. He told bin Zayed that he believed Hamas was preparing to act in the West Bank and assured him that Israel was ready to respond to any scenario. The Emirati leader later discussed the warning with CIA director William J Burns, according to Haaretz. Bin Zayed reportedly described his concern that ‘something there is about to explode’ and said Netanyahu had focused instead on the West Bank. In a response cited by Times of Israel, the Prime Minister’s Office called the report “a total lie!” and said, “Prime Minister Netanyahu did not speak with the president of the United Arab Emirates during the period in question and received no warning from him.”
The account, additionally, draws on interviews with senior Israeli officials, recordings, internal documents and correspondence. Netanyahu’s office has rejected the central allegation.