Netanyahu faces backlash over report he was warned of Hamas attack days before October 7
Netanyahu Faces Backlash Over Report
Healfromzero.com – Netanyahu faces backlash over report that the UAE president warned him of a coming Hamas strike roughly ten days before October 7, 2023. The allegation, drawn from research by veteran Israeli journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruti Yuval for an upcoming book, landed in the middle of a heated parliamentary campaign and immediately split the political landscape. The Prime Minister’s Office moved within hours to call the account an “absolute lie,” but opposition figures seized on the story as fresh ammunition in the final weeks before the vote.
What the Alleged Call Supposedly Contained
Eldar and Yuval’s findings describe a telephone conversation of approximately forty-five minutes between Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, president of the United Arab Emirates. According to the account, Bin Zayed conveyed intelligence that Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s Gaza leader, was preparing a large-scale operation against Israel and cautioned that the move could trigger heavy bloodshed and regional destabilization. The researchers also cited a mid-September 2023 message Sinwar relayed through a Palestinian mediator to both the UAE and Israel, in which he spoke of an impending “earthquake.”
The journalists characterized Netanyahu’s reaction to the briefing as “relatively calm,” noting that he reportedly assured Bin Zayed Israel was prepared for any scenario. That description, if accurate, deepens the question of why no visible operational adjustments followed the conversation.
Opposition Leaders Issue a Rare Joint Demand
Four opposition party leaders – Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan – broke from their usual separate lanes to publish a single coordinated statement. They called for “an immediate and thorough investigation” into what they framed as Netanyahu’s “failures and malfunctioning.”
“The Israeli public is entitled to know: What did Netanyahu know, when did he know, why he didn’t update the security establishment, and why he didn’t act to protect Israeli civilians?”
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, posting on X, went further, calling the report “true” and labeling the alleged disregard for advance warnings “criminal negligence.” His political ally, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, added that he too had publicly warned of an impending attack before October 7, as had senior Israeli security officials and Egyptian counterparts. “If Netanyahu had fulfilled his role, the massacre would have been prevented,” Lapid stated.
UAE and PMO Responses
The UAE Foreign Ministry issued a brief statement on Tuesday evening, saying it “does not comment on media stories or speculation regarding conversations between government leaders” while stopping short of denying the call ever occurred. The ministry added: “When necessary, all relevant intelligence has been and continues to be communicated between the relevant entities.” An Israeli source familiar with the matter reported that Netanyahu’s office had tried to persuade the UAE to issue a flat denial; the Emirati side agreed only to the measured language above, leaving the core allegation effectively unchallenged.
The PMO pushed back with full force, asserting that 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.” No documentary evidence accompanied the denial.
The Accountability Question Behind the Story
The dispute unfolds amid a campaign in which Netanyahu’s rivals are working to make accountability for October 7 – the deadliest single-day attack in Israeli history, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken captive into Gaza – the defining issue of the election. Nearly three years after the assault, the prime minister has resisted repeated demands from bereaved families and survivors to convene an independent commission of inquiry into the intelligence and security failures that allowed Hamas to execute the operation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who originally reported the alleged UAE warning? The account traces to research conducted by Israeli journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruti Yuval for a forthcoming book. It was published in the context of Israel’s upcoming parliamentary elections.
Did the UAE confirm the phone call took place? No. The UAE Foreign Ministry declined to comment on media stories about conversations between government leaders but did not explicitly deny the call. It added that relevant intelligence continues to be shared between the parties when necessary.
What did the Prime Minister’s Office say? The PMO stated categorically that Netanyahu did not speak with the UAE president during the period in question and did not receive any warning from him. No supporting documents were released.
What are opposition leaders demanding? Four opposition party leaders jointly called for an immediate and thorough investigation into what they described as Netanyahu’s failures and malfunctioning surrounding the October 7 intelligence and security breakdown.
