Israeli opposition leaders have renewed calls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down following a report alleging that the United Arab Emirates warned him about plans for the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
The report, published by Israeli newspaper Haaretz as an excerpt from a forthcoming book by its reporters, claimed that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke with Netanyahu about a week and a half before the attack and warned him that Hamas was preparing a major operation.
Netanyahu’s office has strongly rejected the report, describing it as “an absolute lie” and denying that the Israeli prime minister spoke with the Emirati president at the time.
The allegation has nevertheless intensified criticism of Netanyahu, particularly over his handling of security warnings before the October 7 attack.
Gadi Eisenkot, a former military commander and one of Netanyahu’s leading political rivals ahead of the October 27 elections, accused the prime minister of repeatedly avoiding responsibility for the security failures surrounding the attack.
Eisenkot said Netanyahu had received numerous warnings before October 7 but failed to act on them.
“Netanyahu received dozens of warnings for October 7 and ignored them all. He is unfit,” Eisenkot wrote on X.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is also contesting the upcoming election, similarly accused Netanyahu of bearing direct responsibility for the deaths resulting from the attack.
“Netanyahu cannot continue to serve in his position for even one more minute,” Bennett said.
According to Haaretz, the alleged warning was linked to information passed through several intermediaries.
The newspaper reported that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was later killed by Israel, had told a former Palestinian official that the group was preparing what he described as a “terrifying operation” and an “earthquake.”
The former Palestinian official reportedly passed the information to an Emirati adviser, who then relayed it to the UAE president before he allegedly contacted Netanyahu.
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The report, which relied largely on anonymous sources, claimed that Netanyahu responded calmly to the warning. His office, however, has denied that the conversation with Mohamed bin Zayed took place.
The allegations have revived scrutiny of Netanyahu’s policy towards Hamas in the years preceding the October 7 attack.
Before the assault, Netanyahu’s government had pursued a strategy aimed at maintaining a relatively stable status quo with Hamas, with financial assistance reaching Gaza through Qatar.
The approach was based partly on the assessment that Hamas was primarily interested in maintaining its control and avoiding a large-scale war with Israel.
That assessment was shattered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched a massive assault on southern Israel, attacking communities and a music festival.
According to figures based on official Israeli data, the attack killed 1,221 people and resulted in the capture and transfer of about 251 hostages to Gaza.
Israel responded with a large-scale military campaign across the Gaza Strip. The offensive has devastated large parts of the territory and caused a massive loss of life.
The Gaza Health Ministry, which operates under Hamas authorities, has reported 73,658 deaths from the Israeli offensive.
The United Nations has generally considered the ministry’s casualty figures reliable, although the figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The latest controversy places Netanyahu under renewed political pressure as Israel continues to debate responsibility for the intelligence and security failures that preceded the October 7 attack.