Tel Aviv: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan personally warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a potential major Hamas attack around 10 days before October 7, 2023, according to a report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The report claims Netanyahu did not pass the warning on to Israeli security officials and took no action on the information.
Haaretz cited a new book by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval, which is based on interviews with dozens of sources, including senior officials from around the world.
According to the report, Mohamed bin Zayed and Netanyahu held a 45-minute telephone conversation in late September 2023, and three senior foreign officials were later briefed on the contents of the call.
The report also cited a Palestinian adviser to the UAE president who had moved from Gaza to the United Arab Emirates and was said to have direct knowledge of the conversation.
According to Haaretz, Mohamed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major operation against Israel that could result in bloodshed, destabilise the region and potentially damage the Abraham Accords between Israel and Arab countries.
The report said Netanyahu’s unusually calm response during the 45-minute call surprised the UAE president.
Netanyahu reportedly told Mohamed bin Zayed that Israel was closely monitoring the situation in Gaza, that any possible Hamas operation could take place in the West Bank and that Israel was fully prepared for all scenarios.
Haaretz further reported that Mohamed bin Zayed had learned about the potential threat from Sinwar himself.
According to the report, Sinwar had been unhappy in mid-2023 over the lack of progress in negotiations with Israel for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The claims contained in the report have not been independently verified.
