In the shadow of an election and the memory of catastrophe, Benjamin Netanyahu's office has denied that the United Arab Emirates warned him of the October 7 Hamas attack — a denial that multiple Israeli outlets, drawing on Emirati sources and forthcoming journalism, directly contradict. The question of what a leader knew, when he knew it, and what he chose to do with that knowledge is among the oldest in political life; here it carries the weight of 1,200 dead, 251 hostages, and a war that has since claimed tens of thousands more lives in Gaza. That such questions remain unresolved by any offi
Netanyahu Denies UAE Warning of October 7 Attack as Election Looms
The October 7 attacks killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 251 hostages taken to Gaza; the subsequent Israeli military offensive killed over 73,650 Palestinians in Gaza.
You knew, you ignored, you failed, you are to blame.
Mark
So Netanyahu's office says flatly that the UAE never warned him. But Haaretz and the Times of Israel are both reporting that it did. How do we know which version is true?
Mimi
We don't, not yet. What we know is that two separate Israeli news organizations cite sources saying bin Zayed warned Netanyahu ten days before October 7. The UAE's Foreign Ministry didn't deny it—they gave a vague statement about sharing intelligence. Netanyahu's office gave a categorical denial. Those are the facts on the table.
Luke
Right, but let's be precise about sourcing. Haaretz is citing a book excerpt by its own journalists. The Times of Israel cites "an Emirati source." Neither is a direct quote from bin Zayed or Netanyahu. The UAE Foreign Ministry's statement is so carefully worded it could mean almost anything.
Mark
Why would Netanyahu deny it if it happened? What's the political calculation?
Mimi
If he received a warning and didn't act on it, or misread it, that's a massive failure of leadership on the deadliest day in Israeli history. His opponents are already using these reports to argue he was negligent. An official inquiry could expose exactly what he knew and when.
Luke
But we should note: this denial comes out the same day the reports drop, ahead of elections. That's worth naming. It's not like Netanyahu had weeks to think about how to respond.
Mark
The Egyptian warning last year—is that the same situation?
Mimi
Similar, yes. Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Egyptian intelligence warned Israel something big was coming. So there's a pattern of alleged warnings that Netanyahu's team says either didn't happen or were misunderstood.
Luke
Except we don't have the same level of corroboration for the Egyptian warning. With the UAE story, we have two Israeli outlets plus an Emirati source. That's different weight.
Mark
And if there was a warning, what was Netanyahu supposed to do differently?
Mimi
That's the question his opponents are pushing. They're saying he should have taken it seriously, beefed up security, prepared the military. Instead, according to Haaretz, he said Israel was ready for anything and that an attack was more likely from the West Bank.
Luke
Which, to be fair, was a reasonable assessment at the time based on the pattern of threats Israel faced. But if you're told specifically that Hamas is planning something major, and then it happens exactly as described, the question of why you weren't prepared becomes unavoidable.
Le Pouls
- Netanyahu's office issued a flat denial that the UAE warned him of the Hamas attack, even as Haaretz, the Times of Israel, and an Emirati source all reported that UAE President bin Zayed personally alerted him ten days before October 7.
- The UAE's Foreign Ministry neither confirmed nor denied the specific warning, offering only a carefully hedged statement about intelligence-sharing — a silence that resolved nothing and satisfied no one.
- According to the reporting, Netanyahu received bin Zayed's alert with calm, suggesting any attack would more likely come from the West Bank than Gaza — a miscalculation that now haunts the political reckoning underway.
- With Israeli elections weeks away, opposition leaders including Eisenkot, Bennett, and Golan have moved swiftly to frame the reports as evidence of personal negligence, demanding a state commission of inquiry that Netanyahu has repeatedly refused.
- The alleged UAE warning follows earlier reporting that Egyptian intelligence also cautioned Israel that 'something big' was coming — a pattern of forewarning that deepens the unresolved question of institutional and leadership failure.
In the shadow of an election and the memory of catastrophe, Benjamin Netanyahu's office has denied that the United Arab Emirates warned him of the October 7 Hamas attack — a denial that multiple Israeli outlets, drawing on Emirati sources and forthcoming journalism, directly contradict. The question of what a leader knew, when he knew it, and what he chose to do with that knowledge is among the oldest in political life; here it carries the weight of 1,200 dead, 251 hostages, and a war that has since claimed tens of thousands more lives in Gaza. That such questions remain unresolved by any official inquiry — and may instead be settled only at the ballot box — speaks to how accountability, in moments of civilizational rupture, is rarely clean or swift.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu's office issued a categorical denial: the United Arab Emirates had not warned him before October 7, 2023 that Hamas was preparing a major operation. The denial landed in direct collision with reporting from multiple Israeli outlets suggesting otherwise.
Haaretz, drawing on a forthcoming book by two of its journalists, reported that UAE President Mohammad bin Zayed had spoken with Netanyahu ten days before the attack, telling him that Hamas and its leader Yahya Sinwar were planning something significant — an operation that could destabilize the region and endanger the Abraham Accords. The Times of Israel corroborated the account the same day, citing an Emirati source. The UAE's Foreign Ministry, asked to respond, offered only a vague statement about intelligence-sharing between relevant entities, neither confirming nor denying the specific warning.
According to the Haaretz account, Netanyahu received bin Zayed's alert with measured calm, suggesting that if an attack came, it would more likely originate from the West Bank than from Hamas in Gaza. That response now sits at the center of a political firestorm.
Netanyahu's opponents have seized on the reports with force. Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot said that "more and more signs point to the fact that Netanyahu blindly led Israel into the disaster of October 7" and renewed calls for an official state commission of inquiry — a proposal Netanyahu has consistently rejected. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett declared Netanyahu bore "personal and direct responsibility" for the deaths that followed. Yair Golan posted directly to Netanyahu: "You knew, you ignored, you failed, you are to blame."
The alleged UAE warning is not the first of its kind. Yedioth Ahronoth reported last year that Egyptian intelligence had also cautioned Israel that "something big" was imminent before October 7 — a pattern of forewarning that raises deeper questions about how intelligence was received and assessed at the highest levels.
The October 7 attacks killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 251 hostages taken to Gaza. The subsequent Israeli military offensive has killed more than 73,650 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. With elections approaching next month, the questions of what Netanyahu knew, how he interpreted it, and what he did with that knowledge are being argued in campaign speeches rather than before any formal commission — a reckoning deferred, if not denied.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu's office issued a categorical denial: the United Arab Emirates had not warned him before the October 7, 2023 attacks that Hamas was preparing a major operation. "No warning was given to the Prime Minister from the United Arab Emirates before October 7," the statement read. The timing of this denial, however, collided with reporting from multiple Israeli news outlets suggesting the opposite had occurred.
Haaretz, drawing on a forthcoming book by two of its journalists, reported that UAE President Mohammad bin Zayed had spoken directly with Netanyahu ten days before the attack. In that conversation, according to the account, bin Zayed told Netanyahu that Hamas and its leader Yahya Sinwar were planning something significant—an operation that could destabilize the region and jeopardize the Abraham Accords, the 2021 normalization agreement between Israel and the UAE. The Times of Israel corroborated the Haaretz account on the same day, citing an Emirati source who confirmed that bin Zayed had issued the warning. The UAE's Foreign Ministry, when asked to comment, offered only a carefully worded statement: "When necessary, all relevant intelligence has been and continue to be communicated between the relevant entities." It neither confirmed nor denied the specific warning.
According to Haaretz's reporting, Netanyahu's response to bin Zayed's alert was measured. The prime minister indicated that Israel was ready for any contingency and suggested that if an attack came, it would more likely originate from the West Bank rather than from Hamas in Gaza. This account of relative calm in the face of a warning about an imminent major operation now sits at the center of a political firestorm, particularly because the denial arrives just as Israelis prepare for elections next month.
Netanyahu's political opponents have seized on the reports with force. Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief whose centrist Yashar party is currently polling ahead of Netanyahu's Likud, stated bluntly that "more and more signs point to the fact that Netanyahu blindly led Israel into the disaster of October 7." Eisenkot has called for an official state commission of inquiry into the intelligence failures surrounding the attack—a proposal Netanyahu has consistently rejected. Naftali Bennett, who served as prime minister before Netanyahu and is running against him in the coming election, declared that "Netanyahu bears personal and direct responsibility for the failure that led to the deaths of thousands of Israelis on his watch." Yair Golan, leader of the center-left Democrats party, posted a message on social media directly to Netanyahu: "You knew, you ignored, you failed, you are to blame."
This is not the first suggestion that Israeli leadership received advance notice of the coming assault. Last year, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Egyptian intelligence officials had warned Israel that "something big is going to happen" shortly before October 7. The pattern of warnings—from Egypt, now allegedly from the UAE—raises questions about what information reached decision-makers and how it was assessed.
The October 7 attacks themselves killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 251 hostages taken into Gaza. The assault was the deadliest single day for Jewish people since the Holocaust. In response, the Israeli military launched a sustained offensive against Hamas in Gaza. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, that campaign has killed more than 73,650 Palestinians. A UN Commission of Inquiry concluded last year that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza during that offensive.
The denial from Netanyahu's office and the competing accounts from Israeli media outlets and Emirati sources now form the backdrop to the election campaign. Whether Netanyahu received a warning, how he interpreted it, and what he did with the information are questions that his opponents are using to argue he was unprepared for or negligent in preventing the attack. Netanyahu's rejection of calls for an official inquiry suggests those questions will remain contested rather than resolved through formal investigation.
Citations marquantes
Netanyahu bears personal and direct responsibility for the failure that led to the deaths of thousands of Israelis on his watch.— Naftali Bennett, former prime minister and Netanyahu opponent
More and more signs point to the fact that Netanyahu blindly led Israel into the disaster of October 7.— Gadi Eisenkot, former military chief and centrist political rival
Envie de l'histoire complète ?
Lire l'original sur Deutsche Welle ↗
Politics & Governance