According to an Israeli newspaper, the president of the United Arab Emirates issued a direct warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding a significant offensive planned by Hamas just days prior to the militant group’s attack on October 7, 2023.
U.A.E. President Mohammed bin Zayed communicated with Netanyahu ten days before the assault, indicating that Yahya Sinwar, the then-leader of Hamas in Gaza, was orchestrating an operation, as reported by Haaretz.
Bin Zayed cautioned that this operation would result in bloodshed, potentially destabilizing the region and jeopardizing the Abraham Accords, which are the normalization agreements between Israel and various Arab and Muslim-majority nations, according to the newspaper.
However, Netanyahu reportedly “responded with relative calm,” and assured bin Zayed that Israel was ready for any situation, suggesting that a potential attack was more likely to originate from the occupied West Bank, as stated by Haaretz.
The assault carried out by Hamas militants on October 7 resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals and the abduction of another 251, as per Israeli officials.
Haaretz noted that Netanyahu’s office labeled the report as an “absolute lie,” asserting that Netanyahu did not engage in any conversation with the U.A.E. president “during the specified timeframe and received no warnings from him.”
Netanyahu’s office refutes claims as ‘false’
Later on Tuesday, the prime minister’s office dismissed the claims as “false.”
“If there was any pertinent information, it was communicated through intelligence channels between the two nations,” the office stated in a post on X.
Netanyahu has declined to entertain requests for an official government inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the October 7 attack. His office has not responded to requests for comments.
The U.A.E. Foreign Ministry also did not provide immediate responses to requests for comments.
With national elections approaching next month in Israel, Netanyahu’s actions during the time leading up to the October 7 attack have become a pivotal issue in the campaign.
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Gadi Eisenkot, a former high-ranking general viewed as Netanyahu’s main adversary in the election, accused the prime minister of disregarding numerous warnings prior to the attack.
“He is unfit,” Eisenkot expressed via social media.
Another opponent of Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett, stated, “Netanyahu holds personal and direct responsibility for the failure that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Israelis under his leadership.”
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel’s offensive in Gaza has led to the deaths of over 73,650 Palestinians.