UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas was preparing a major operation days before the October 7 attack , according to a new Israeli media report.
Netanyahu reportedly downplayed the warning even after the UAE president asked him to take the threat seriously, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported, citing three senior foreign sources familiar with the conversation.
Netanyahu rubbishes report
Haaretz also cited a senior adviser to the UAE president as saying the information came through contacts involving a Palestinian intermediary who had links with both Hamas and Israeli security officials. “An absolute lie!
Mohamed bin Zayed spoke with Netanyahu about a week and a half before the attack and warned him that Hamas was preparing a major operation, according to Haaretz, which published an excerpt from a forthcoming book by its reporters. The UAE president also warned that such an attack could result in heavy bloodshed, create instability across the region and put the Abraham Accords at risk, the report said. The investigation said that in September 2023, Sinwar had conveyed, through an intermediary, that he was preparing a “zilzal,” or an earthquake. He later referred to the planned attack as “the mother of all surprises” and “a terrifying operation. The report said Netanyahu responded in a calm manner after receiving the warning. The Israeli prime minister reportedly said he believed Hamas was planning to operate in the West Bank and assured the UAE president that Israel was ready to deal with any possible scenario. Prime Minister Netanyahu did not speak with the president of the United Arab Emirates during the period in question and did not receive any warning from him,” it said.
