Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warned by United Arab Emirates President Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan that Hamas was planning a large operation days before the October 7 assault, Haaretz reported, citing sources used in a forthcoming book.
The warning followed intelligence that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had described preparations as a "zilzal" or earthquake and as "the mother of all surprises," according to Haaretz and the book Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment by Haaretz reporters Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval.
Haaretz said the UAE leader phoned Netanyahu for about 45 minutes roughly ten days before the attack and urged him to take the threat seriously. The paper reported that a Palestinian intermediary with ties to both Hamas and Israeli security officials first passed the intelligence to Emirati contacts.
The Shin Bet received related information on September 15, Haaretz reported. Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar then briefed Netanyahu and, according to the reporting, warned Israel was "on a collision course" and recommended either a strong offensive step or heightened defenses. No clear decisions followed that assessment.
Haaretz also reported that Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel separately warned Netanyahu in the same period about "something unusual, a terrifying operation." The newspaper said both warnings were not relayed to the top security chiefs in the days before October 7.
Netanyahu reportedly told the UAE president he believed any Hamas move would occur in the West Bank and that Israel was ready for any scenario, Haaretz said. Netanyahu's office rejected the account and called the report "an absolute lie" while denying a call took place in the period described.
Reactions Consequences and Political Fallout
Opposition figures reacted sharply to the Haaretz account. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett told Israeli radio he "knew for a fact" the report was true and said Netanyahu bore direct responsibility for failing to act, as reported by multiple outlets.
Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief and election rival, said the report added evidence of leadership failure and called Netanyahu "unfit," according to the reporting. Some opposition parties said they would try to establish a state commission of inquiry if they come to power.
The reporting placed the warnings inside a wider, tragic timeline. Haaretz and other coverage note that Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took about 251 hostages in the October attack, and that the subsequent Israeli offensive left much of Gaza devastated, with reporting citing Gaza health ministry figures of tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths.
Haaretz did not report a response from the Emirati presidency. The book and newspaper say their account draws on dozens of international and Israeli sources, including senior officials, and they present the warnings as potentially significant to how Israeli authorities understood Sinwar's statements before October 7.
