Diplomacy & Geopolitics
UAE gives no comment on Netanyahu Oct 7 warning report
The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday it would not comment on an Israeli media report that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan warned Israel before Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.
The UAE foreign ministry said the government does not comment on media stories or speculation. It added that, when necessary, relevant intelligence has been and continues to be communicated between the relevant entities.
Haaretz, in an excerpt from a forthcoming book by its reporters, reported that Mohamed bin Zayed spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a week and a half before the attack and told him Hamas was planning a major operation.
Netanyahu's office said late Tuesday that no warning was given to the prime minister from the United Arab Emirates before October 7. It had also called the report false and denied that Netanyahu spoke to the Emirati leader at that time, while saying it was possible the two countries exchanged messages through intelligence channels.
The report drew criticism from Netanyahu's political rivals ahead of Israel's October 27 elections. Gadi Eisenkot, a former military commander, accused Netanyahu of ignoring warnings. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett said Netanyahu bore personal and direct responsibility for the deaths on October 7. Yair Golan, leader of the centre-left Democrats Party, accused Netanyahu of endangering Israel.
Many Israelis have demanded an independent state commission of inquiry into security lapses before the attack. Opposition parties say creating such a commission would be their first priority if elected, while Netanyahu's government has rejected the proposal.
The October 7 Hamas attack killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants also took about 251 hostages into Gaza, 44 of them already dead. Israel's offensive in Gaza in response has killed 73,658 people, according to the Gaza health ministry, which is under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
Update
The UAE foreign ministry said that, when necessary, relevant intelligence has been and continues to be communicated between relevant entities.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 17:56:33 UTC.
Update
The United Arab Emirates said it had no comment on the Israeli report that it warned Netanyahu before the October 7 attack.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 17:47:32 UTC.
Update
Israeli opposition leaders explicitly called Netanyahu unfit to serve after the Haaretz report.
Gadi Eisenkot wrote that Netanyahu had received dozens of warnings before October 7 and ignored them.
Haaretz reported a warning chain involving Yahya Sinwar, a former Palestinian official, an Emirati adviser, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Netanyahu.
Yair Golan said Netanyahu knew, ignored warnings, failed and was to blame.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 17:32:10 UTC.
Update
Netanyahu's office explicitly said no warning was given to the prime minister from the United Arab Emirates before October 7, 2023.
Netanyahu's office said it was possible Israel and the UAE exchanged messages through intelligence channels.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 17:22:56 UTC.
Update
Yair Golan accused Netanyahu of endangering Israel and said in a social media video that Netanyahu knew, ignored the warning and failed.
Opposition parties say an independent state commission of inquiry into October 7 security failures would be their first priority if elected.
Netanyahu's government has rejected creating such a commission.
Haaretz reported that Netanyahu replied calmly to the alleged UAE warning.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 11:32:36 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The alleged warning remains disputed by Netanyahu's office.
The UAE statement did not confirm or deny the specific reported warning.
Source
AFP news report published on .