N12's Dafna Liel reports that a Haaretz investigation published Tuesday morning claims UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a 45-minute phone call ten days before the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack. According to the report, Netanyahu did not brief the heads of Shin Bet, Mossad, or the IDF on the warning. Netanyahu's office denies the call took place, stating the prime minister did not speak with bin Zayed during that period and received no such warning.
N12's Dafna Liel confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Haaretz has published an investigation claiming UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed placed a 45-minute call to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ten days before the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, warning of an impending major operation. According to the report, Netanyahu did not relay the warning to the heads of the Shin Bet, Mossad, or the IDF. Netanyahu's office denies the call occurred, stating that the prime minister did not speak with bin Zayed during the relevant period and received no such warning.
The story first emerged at 08:30 Jerusalem time Tuesday, when Haaretz published its investigation citing three sources. Simultaneously, Channel 12's Yaron Avraham reported that the intelligence regarding Sinwar's warning — that "the prisons in Israel will soon shake" — originated from MBZ, and i24NEWS's Amichai Stein noted that the UAE had issued general warnings about regional escalation months before the attack. At 10:25, The Zioneer reported the Haaretz article, including the Prime Minister's Office calling it an "absolute lie." At 12:52, journalist Mendi Asraf cited a senior source in Netanyahu's circle who reviewed call logs and stated the last call between Netanyahu and bin Zayed before Oct. 7 occurred in early 2023, not in late September. At 13:50, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid said he publicly warned Netanyahu three weeks before the attack, criticizing the prime minister's dismissal of security warnings.
The UAE, under MBZ's leadership, normalized relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords in 2020 and has since maintained a strategic partnership focused on regional stability and countering Iranian influence, as The Zioneer has reported. The Haaretz investigation has intensified the domestic political debate over the intelligence and operational failures leading up to the deadliest terror attack in Israel's history.
The precise timing and content of communications between Netanyahu and the UAE president remain disputed. The Prime Minister's Office has issued a categorical denial, while Haaretz stands by its reporting. No independent confirmation of the call's existence has emerged.
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