A Haaretz report claims that both the UAE and Egypt explicitly warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly before the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that the terror group was planning a major assault. The report alleges Netanyahu believed Hamas was focused on the West Bank and did not brief security chiefs.
The Haaretz investigation has been expanded Tuesday afternoon to claim that Egypt, alongside the United Arab Emirates, explicitly warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas was planning a major assault in the days before the October 7, 2023 massacre. The report alleges Netanyahu believed Hamas was focused on Judea and Samaria and did not brief the heads of the Shin Bet, Mossad, or IDF on the warnings. No official comment has been issued on the expanded report as of Tuesday afternoon.
The initial Haaretz investigation, first reported by The Zioneer at 08:30 Jerusalem, claimed that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu in a phone call over a week and a half before the attack, telling him that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning an escalation. Three sources confirmed the call's details. The Prime Minister's Office issued a firm denial, calling the claim an "absolute lie" and stating no such call took place. N12 later added that the call lasted 45 minutes and reiterated the denial. The current report adds Egypt to the list of countries that directly warned Netanyahu.
The allegations have reignited debate over the prime minister's handling of intelligence warnings before the deadliest terror attack in Israel's history. As The Zioneer previously reported, Netanyahu himself has claimed that defense officials deliberately chose not to wake him on the morning of October 7. Former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot, a member of the war cabinet, accused Netanyahu of ignoring "dozens of warnings"—including the UAE warning—and declared him unfit to lead. Amichai Stein reported that the UAE had issued general warnings about regional escalation months before the attack.
The expanded Haaretz report remains unconfirmed by independent sources. The Prime Minister's Office has not responded to the new claims regarding Egypt, and the original denial of the UAE warning stands.
6 developments
- StrongLapid says Netanyahu dismissed UAE, Egypt and security chiefs' warnings before Oct. 7 massacre
- ConfirmedPre-October 7 discussion participants break silence, claim no one knew of UAE message
- StrongMendi Asraf: Senior source says last Netanyahu-UAE president call before Oct 7 was in early 2023
- DevelopingSocial media commentary: Islamic Jihad rally six days before October 7 was ignored, writer claims
Source and signal
- Open-source intake