An official in the United Arab Emirates has for the first time directly addressed reports claiming that the country’s president, Mohammed bin Zayed, warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of an imminent Hamas attack just days before the October 7 massacre.
The official completely rejected the claim that intelligence information or any warning had been conveyed in a direct conversation between the two leaders.
Speaking to the local newspaper The National, the official clarified the UAE’s working procedures, noting that the country discusses security and intelligence matters with other countries solely through the relevant professional officials and channels.
The official further emphasized that the country does not discuss operational or intelligence details of this kind at the leadership level.
The official’s remarks are the first formal response to an investigative report published by Haaretz, according to which a telephone conversation lasting approximately 45 minutes took place between bin Zayed and Netanyahu about a week and a half before the outbreak of the war.
According to the report, the UAE president warned the Prime Minister that Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar was planning a significant military operation against Israel - one that could lead to widespread bloodshed, undermine regional stability and even harm the achievements of the Abraham Accords.
The Prime Minister’s Office had already moved quickly to deny the report. In its official response, the office stated that, as a matter of fact, no telephone conversation whatsoever took place between Netanyahu and bin Zayed during the period in question preceding October 7.
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