UAE President Warned Netanyahu of Gaza Attack Weeks Before Oct. 7

Weeks before the October 7th Hamas attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly received a warning from an unexpected source: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. According to a report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, bin Zayed alerted Netanyahu that Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, was preparing for a "significant event" against Israel.

Bin Zayed expressed concerns that such an action could ignite widespread bloodshed, destabilize the Middle East, and jeopardize the Abraham Accords. The UAE president's advisor, a Palestinian who emigrated from Gaza to Abu Dhabi and maintained strong ties to the Strip, was also involved in conveying the message. He reportedly told Netanyahu that Sinwar was planning something major and advised Israel to be prepared, while also suggesting economic solutions for Gaza and de-escalation in the West Bank to prevent an escalation.

Netanyahu's office, however, dismissed the report, stating, "An absolute lie! Prime Minister Netanyahu did not speak with the President of the United Arab Emirates during the period in question and did not receive any warning from him." The Prime Minister's office maintained that Israel was prepared for all scenarios.

Further complicating the narrative, Haaretz reported that in mid-September 2023, Sinwar himself sent a message to the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) stating, "Tell the Israelis that if they don't progress, I am preparing a huge surprise for them, tell them to expect an earthquake." However, senior officials at the time assessed this warning as being related to the Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who had been abducted in Iraq, and believed Sinwar intended to use her to negotiate the release of Palestinian prisoners.