According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, about 10 days before Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the UAE President personally warned the Israeli Prime Minister that Hamas was planning a major attack against Israel.
The newspaper said that Netanyahu did not inform the country’s security authorities about this and did not act on this important information.
The Israeli newspaper’s report cites a new book by journalists Shlomi Elder and Ruth Yuval, which is based on interviews with dozens of sources, including top officials from around the world.
According to the report, the two leaders had a 45-minute telephone conversation in late September, the contents of which were also shared with three top foreign officials.
In this regard, a Palestinian advisor to the Emirati president who had moved from Gaza to the UAE and had direct knowledge of the conversation has also been cited.
The report states that Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major operation against Israel that could result in bloodshed, affect regional peace and potentially damage the ‘Abraham Accords’ between Israel and Arab countries.
The report states that Netanyahu’s overly calm response to the 45-minute call surprised the Emirati president, with the Israeli prime minister replying 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 any scenario.
The Haaretz report further revealed that Mohammed bin Zayed was informed of this potential threat from Hamas by Yahya Sinwar himself, who was unhappy with the lack of progress in the agreement with Israel to release Palestinian prisoners in mid-2023.