Netanyahu's Office Denies UAE Warning Before October 7 Hamas Attack

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refuted claims published by the newspaper Haaretz, which alleged that Netanyahu received a warning from the United Arab Emirates about an impending Hamas attack approximately ten days before October 7. "Media reports are untrue. The Prime Minister did not receive any warning from the UAE before October 7," a statement from the Prime Minister's office declared. It added that any relevant information from the UAE would have been conveyed through intelligence channels.

The Haaretz report, published on September 8, was based on an investigation by Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval for their book "Hostages: 843 Days of Inaction." The authors asserted that about a week and a half before the October 7 Hamas assault, Netanyahu was warned by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a "significant event." According to the investigation, Sinwar conveyed a message about preparing an "earthquake" through a mediator, following which bin Zayed had an extended phone conversation with Netanyahu.

The report claims Netanyahu believed the warning might pertain to an escalation in Judea and Samaria and did not relay the intelligence to the Defense Minister, Chief of Staff, head of the Shin Bet, or the Mossad director. The authors also wrote that a similar signal was received from Egypt around the same period. Egypt's intelligence chief, Abbas Kamal, allegedly warned the Prime Minister's office, but received a response that Israel controlled the Gaza Strip and its primary concerns were in Judea and Samaria.

The publication also examined early mediation efforts after the October 7 attack. It stated that on the evening of October 7, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani contacted Mossad Director David Barnea, informing him that Hamas was willing to discuss the release of civilian hostages with Qatari mediation. Barnea reportedly replied that Israel was not prepared to negotiate with Hamas at that time.