Overview
- Haaretz, citing a forthcoming book and dozens of sources, reported that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a roughly 45‑minute call about 10 days before Oct. 7, 2023 that Hamas planned a major operation.
- The Prime Minister’s Office called the account an “absolute lie,” said internal checks of call logs and visitor records found no such contact, and has instructed lawyers to sue Haaretz.
- Haaretz says the UAE warning echoed messages from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar passed through an intermediary to Shin Bet on Sept. 15 and that bin Zayed later raised the matter with then‑CIA director William Burns.
- Opposition leaders and former security figures have demanded a formal inquiry and sharpened election attacks, while bereaved families and survivors press for independent review of intelligence failures.
- No public confirmation has come from the UAE, the CIA or other external agencies, leaving the core factual dispute unresolved and making legal fights and political fallout the next likely developments.