UAE Denies Warning Netanyahu About Hamas Attack Before Oct. 7

An official source in the United Arab Emirates has officially denied claims that Abu Dhabi had warned Israel about a Hamas attack in the weeks leading up to October 7. Responding to a query from The National newspaper, the Emirati official detailed the country's information dissemination procedures, stating that security matters are discussed through relevant bodies, not at the level of national leaders. This public denial from Abu Dhabi comes amid the upcoming Israeli elections, where the issue of early warnings has become a central theme for politicians campaigning on security.

Previously, on September 26, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his intention to sue the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, journalist Shlomi Eldar, and others over a report alleging that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed had warned him about a significant Hamas plan before the October 7 massacre. Netanyahu's office issued a strong statement calling the report a "false fabrication" and "a baseless conspiracy." They asserted that no conversation between Netanyahu and the UAE president took place between early September and October 7, based on checks of Netanyahu's call logs, the National Security Council, and the Military Secretariat, none of which documented such a call.

Furthermore, Netanyahu's office claimed that policy discussions with bin Zayed occur via a representative using an encrypted device, and all such conversations are recorded. They also checked entry logs to the Prime Minister's Office during that period and found no record of an Emirati representative entering the premises, emphasizing that entry into the complex requires security documentation. Netanyahu also refuted claims of an Egyptian warning, stating it was disproven early in the war. He characterized the report as a "malicious conspiracy with clear political timing" aimed at influencing the elections.