UAE warned Netanyahu of Hamas operation days before October 7 attack: Report

Around 10 days before Hamas launched its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed reportedly spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and warned him about a major operation being planned by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

The information, however, allegedly did not reach Israel's security leadership and Netanyahu did not take action based on the warning, according to a Haaretz report published on Tuesday.

The report drew on a new book, “Kidnapped: 843 Days of Abandonment,” written by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval. The authors based the book on conversations with dozens of people, including senior officials from Israel and other countries.

UAE leader reportedly warned Netanyahu

The report said three senior foreign officials later learned about the details of a 45-minute conversation between Netanyahu and bin Zayed, which took place in late September 2023.

Haaretz also cited a Palestinian adviser to the Emirati president who had previously moved from Gaza to the UAE. The adviser claimed to have direct knowledge of the conversation.

According to the adviser, bin Zayed told Netanyahu that Sinwar was preparing a major operation against Israel. He warned that the move could result in bloodshed, create instability across the region and put the Abraham Accords at risk.

"The emir explained that, in his assessment, Sinwar was preparing for a major event," the adviser says. "He told Netanyahu that Israel should be ready. Concurrently, he recommended trying to find an economic solution for the Strip and calming the West Bank to prevent escalation," Haaretz quoted MBZ advisor on Palestine.

The report said bin Zayed found Netanyahu's reaction unexpected. During the conversation, the Israeli prime minister reportedly appeared unconcerned and told the Emirati leader that Israel was closely monitoring developments in Gaza.

Netanyahu reportedly said Hamas was more likely to launch an operation in the West Bank and assured bin Zayed that Israel was ready to deal with any situation.

Hamas-led terrorists launched their cross-border attack on October 7, 2023. The assault killed 1,200 people in southern Israeli communities, most of them civilians, and resulted in 251 hostages being taken to Gaza. The attack triggered a wider conflict that spread to several parts of the Middle East.

Warnings about Sinwar's plans

The Haaretz report said the information available to bin Zayed originated from Sinwar. It said the Hamas leader had become frustrated in mid 2023 after negotiations over a possible Palestinian prisoner release deal with Israel failed to make progress.

Earlier that year, Israel's Shin Bet and Hamas had opened a secret direct line for negotiations. According to the report, the talks came close to producing a major prisoner exchange agreement.

The proposed deal still required approval from an Israeli ministerial committee before authorities could release the prisoners.

Haaretz reported that Netanyahu repeatedly delayed calling the committee together. It suggested that the delay may have resulted "out of fear of reaching an agreement with Hamas, or perhaps out of fear of the reaction from his extremist partners in his new government."

Officials from Shin Bet who were involved in the secret channel told the publication that Netanyahu had previously cited concerns that details of the talks could reach the media.

"And so it got stuck week after week," the source said.

As the delays continued, Sinwar reportedly issued increasingly serious warnings. In September 2023, he sent a message through an intermediary saying he was preparing a "zilzal," or earthquake.

He later referred to his planned operation as "the mother of all surprises" and "a terrifying operation."

The direct communication channel between Shin Bet and Hamas was also shut down around this period. According to the report, officials restored full activity on the channel in September 2024 as they tried to revive negotiations over the stalled hostage agreement.

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Security officials also issued warnings

The warning from Sinwar reached Shin Bet on September 15, according to the report. Then Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar briefed Netanyahu about the information.

Two days later, senior defence officials met to discuss the situation. Bar reportedly told them that Israel was "on a collision course" and urged the government to either launch a major offensive action or strengthen defensive measures in Gaza and the West Bank before the Jewish holidays.

The meeting ended without a decision, according to the report.

The UAE leadership later concluded that Israel had failed to respond adequately to the information, prompting bin Zayed to contact Netanyahu himself, the report claimed.

The report also said Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel received similar information and called Netanyahu. Kamel reportedly warned the Israeli prime minister about "something unusual, a terrifying operation" being planned by Hamas.

Netanyahu reportedly responded that Israel remained in control of the situation in Gaza. He also said Israel was directing its attention and troop deployments towards the West Bank.

According to the report, Netanyahu did not disclose either of the warning calls during another security meeting held on October 1.

Netanyahu's office rejects report

Netanyahu's office strongly rejected the allegations made in the report and described them as an "absolute lie."

"Prime Minister Netanyahu didn't speak to the president of the UAE during the period in question and received no warning from him," the Prime Minister's Office said in response to Haaretz.

The Emirati president did not respond to Haaretz's request for comment.