Benjamin Netanyahu to Sue Haaretz Over Report That UAE Warned Him Prior to October 7

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to take legal action against the Haaretz newspaper following a report alleging he received warnings regarding Hamas offensive plans days before the attacks of October 7, 2023.

In a statement shared on X on Wednesday, Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the report as fabricated and false, confirming he instructed his legal team to sue Haaretz alongside the article's authors, Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yaval.

Published on Tuesday, the report asserted that the president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed, contacted Benjamin Netanyahu to warn him about a potential Hamas assault 10 days prior to the October 7 events, which resulted in at least 1,195 deaths in southern Israel and 251 captives, subsequently triggering Israel's war on Gaza where at least 73,669 Palestinians have been killed.

According to Haaretz, the UAE president, also referred to as MBZ, spoke with Benjamin Netanyahu by phone to convey threats from then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The report stated that Yahya Sinwar used an intermediary to warn the UAE of a huge surprise and an upcoming earthquake due to stalled prisoner exchange talks and Israel's Gaza blockade. The UAE leadership allegedly interpreted this as a full-scale attack warning and shared the intelligence with Israel’s Shin Bet agency, which dismissed the threat, leading MBZ to raise the matter directly with Benjamin Netanyahu, who also reportedly brushed it aside.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the allegations, stating on Tuesday that the UAE government does not comment on media stories or speculation regarding conversations between government leaders.

The publication surfaces as Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to secure his position in upcoming Knesset elections in October, amid trailing poll numbers and a challenge from former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. Benjamin Netanyahu labeled the report politically motivated and part of the left’s election campaign, denying any phone call with MBZ and noting that the National Security Council and the Military Secretary reviewed his call logs for those days and found no record.

Additionally, Benjamin Netanyahu alleged that Palestinian political figure Muhammad Dahlan, who lives in the UAE after being expelled from the Fatah party in 2011 following a power struggle with Mahmoud Abbas, was responsible for the false report. Representatives for Muhammad Dahlan have rejected this claim, according to Israeli media.