Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was personally warned by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation roughly 10 days before the October 7, 2023 attacks, according to a Haaretz investigation published this week. Netanyahu’s office has denied the report.
The Israeli newspaper, drawing on reporting for an upcoming book, said bin Zayed spoke with Netanyahu for about 45 minutes in late September 2023. The Emirati leader warned that Sinwar was planning an operation that could cause significant bloodshed, destabilize the region, and undermine the Abraham Accords. Netanyahu reportedly played down the threat, saying he believed any Hamas action was more likely in the West Bank and that Israel was prepared for any scenario.
According to Haaretz, Netanyahu did not pass the warning to Israel’s top security officials. Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi both told the paper they had not been informed of the conversation.
Netanyahu’s office called the account an “absolute lie,” stating that no such conversation took place and that any relevant information would have been shared through intelligence channels rather than a personal call. The UAE foreign ministry declined to comment on conversations between leaders. Netanyahu has said he will sue Haaretz.
The new report adds to earlier accounts of unheeded warnings. Haaretz previously reported that Sinwar sent messages through a Palestinian intermediary describing an impending “earthquake” or “terrifying operation.” That information reached Shin Bet, whose then-chief briefed Netanyahu. Egyptian intelligence was also reported to have issued a warning shortly before the assault.
Separately, Israeli intelligence obtained a Hamas battle plan code-named “Jericho Wall” years before October 7. The New York Times reported that the document closely resembled the actual attack, including rocket barrages, drone strikes on border cameras, and a multi-pronged ground assault with hostage-taking. Israeli officials have said the plan was treated as aspirational rather than an imminent operational threat.
Questions have also been raised about Israel’s military response on the day of the attack. Investigations have examined whether the Hannibal Directive—which authorizes extreme measures to prevent the capture of soldiers—contributed to some Israeli civilian deaths when forces struck vehicles and locations where hostages or civilians may have been present.
Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people in Israel on October 7 and took 251 hostages. Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 73,600 Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent war, a figure that includes combatants and civilians and has continued to rise even after a ceasefire took effect in October 2025.
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