Netanyahu denies receiving UAE warning ten days before October 7 Hamas attack

Reported warning from Abu Dhabi

A forthcoming book by Israeli journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval reports that United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan personally warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ten days before the 7 October 2023 attack. According to excerpts published by the newspaper Haaretz on 8 September 2026, the two leaders held a 45-minute telephone conversation in late September 2023. During this exchange, the Emirati president reportedly stated that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing an operation described as an earthquake against Israel. The authors report that Netanyahu met the information with relative calm, telling bin Zayed that Israel remained prepared for various contingencies and considered the West Bank a more probable origin for security threats. Following the conversation, Netanyahu reportedly did not transmit the warning to Israeli defense and intelligence agencies.

Backchannel talks and intelligence failures

The reporting indicates that the warning originated through a Fatah intermediary known by the moniker Black Eyes, who maintained ties with both Hamas and Israel's internal security agency, the Shin Bet. In the months preceding October 2023, the Israeli government conducted secret negotiations through this channel to pursue a long-term truce, or hudna, with Hamas. The proposed terms included easing the Gaza blockade, opening an industrial zone in the northern Strip, providing natural gas, and expanding Palestinian work permits. Instead of interpreting Sinwar's threats as operational preparations, officials reportedly viewed the rhetoric as leverage to extract negotiating concessions. The 7 October 2023 assault subsequently resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths in Israel and the capture of 251 hostages, leading to a war in which local authorities report tens of thousands of Palestinian fatalities.

Official denials and regional reaction

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office rejected the reporting on 8 September 2026, describing the account as entirely false.

No warning was given to the Prime Minister from the United Arab Emirates before October 7.

In Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not explicitly confirm or deny the details of the phone call while addressing security coordination.

When necessary, all relevant intelligence has been and continue to be communicated between the relevant entities.

The United Arab Emirates normalized ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020, establishing defense communication channels between the two countries. Emirati leadership reportedly feared a cross-border attack would destabilize regional diplomacy, including discussions surrounding Israeli normalization with Saudi Arabia.

Political fallout ahead of October elections

The revelations follow earlier reporting by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth indicating that Egyptian intelligence officials had also warned Israeli authorities of an impending operation shortly before the attack. The findings in the book, titled "Kidnapped: 843 Days of Abandonment", drew criticism from domestic political rivals ahead of Israel's parliamentary elections set for 27 October 2026. Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, who heads the Yashar party, accused Netanyahu of deflecting responsibility for command failures onto subordinates. Netanyahu also continues to face ongoing court proceedings on charges of fraud and corruption that carry potential prison sentences between 3 and 10 years. The upcoming parliamentary vote takes place as public inquiry demands persist regarding government decision-making prior to the 2023 assault.