Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched legal action against the newspaper Haaretz over a report alleging that he was personally warned by the United Arab Emirates about a planned Hamas attack days before the 7 October 2023 assault.
The report, published by Haaretz, claimed that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke to Mr Netanyahu about 10 days before the attack and warned that then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation against Israel.
According to the report, the 45-minute conversation included warnings that an attack could cause significant bloodshed, destabilise the region and threaten the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab states. (Jerusalem Post)
Haaretz said Mr Netanyahu responded calmly and indicated that Israel was prepared for possible threats, while suggesting that any major attack was more likely to originate from the occupied West Bank.
However, Mr Netanyahu’s office has strongly rejected the allegation, describing the report as an “absolute lie” and insisting that no warning was given to the prime minister by the UAE before the 7 October attack. (euronews)
The prime minister has now taken the dispute to court, accusing Haaretz and journalists associated with the report of publishing fabricated claims.
The controversy has intensified political pressure on Mr Netanyahu, coming just weeks before Israel’s October 2026 parliamentary elections. Opposition figures have used the allegations to renew calls for an independent investigation into the intelligence and security failures that preceded the Hamas attack. (AFP)
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot have accused Mr Netanyahu of failing to act on warnings ahead of the attack, while demanding greater accountability over the events that led to the deaths of more than 1,200 people and the abduction of about 250 hostages.
The UAE has not directly endorsed the Haaretz account. Its Foreign Ministry said it does not comment on media reports or speculation, while stressing that relevant intelligence has been communicated between the appropriate authorities when necessary. (euronews)
The October 7 attack, in which Hamas-led fighters entered southern Israel, triggered the devastating war in Gaza and a wider regional crisis.
The latest dispute has therefore reopened one of the most politically sensitive questions surrounding the attack: what warnings reached Israel’s leadership before October 7, who received them, and whether enough was done to prevent the assault?
Mr Netanyahu’s legal action is likely to keep those questions at the centre of Israel’s increasingly heated political debate ahead of the elections.
