Book claims UAE president warned Benjamin Netanyahu ten days before 7 October attacks

The alleged warning from Abu Dhabi

An upcoming book by Israeli journalists, titled Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment and excerpted on 8 September 2026, alleges that United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan personally warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Hamas plans a week and a half before the 7 October 2023 attacks. According to the reporting, an Emirati diplomat brought an encrypted phone directly to the prime minister's office in Jerusalem to enable the conversation. During the 45-minute phone call placed from the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi, bin Zayed told Netanyahu that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing an operation described as an earthquake. The Emirati leader urged Israel to take preventive steps, expressing concern that the planned assault would cause regional instability and undermine the 2020 Abraham Accords. Netanyahu reportedly responded calmly, stating that the situation in the Gaza Strip was under control and that Israeli security forces were prepared for any scenario.

Intelligence origins and backchannel talks

The warning originated from discussions in September 2023 between Yahya Sinwar and a Palestinian intermediary affiliated with Fatah, known by the moniker Coal Eyes or Black Eyes. The intermediary, who speaks fluent Hebrew and maintained contacts with both Hamas and Israel's domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet, met privately with Sinwar. During that meeting, Sinwar stated that a large surprise was coming unless Israel made progress on releasing Palestinian prisoners. At the time, the Israeli government was engaged in secret backchannel negotiations through this intermediary to establish a long-term truce, known as a hudna. The proposed agreement included the gradual easing of the Gaza blockade, the creation of an industrial zone in northern Gaza, increased work permits for Palestinian labourers, and natural gas supplies. After receiving Sinwar's warning, the intermediary informed an advisor to bin Zayed, who subsequently arranged the call with Netanyahu. Following the conversation, Netanyahu reportedly did not relay the information to the director of Shin Bet, the director of Mossad, or the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces.

Denial from the prime minister's office

Netanyahu's office rejected the allegations, issuing statements to Israeli media outlets characterizing the account as completely false. The prime minister's office stated that no such conversation took place during late September 2023 and denied receiving any advance alert regarding Hamas operations.

The Prime Minister Netanyahu did not speak with the president of the United Arab Emirates in the period in question and did not receive any warning from him.

The publication also noted that in the days following the 7 October 2023 attacks, which resulted in more than 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken from Israel, Hamas offered through Qatari mediation to negotiate the release of civilian hostages, an offer the Israeli government declined. The subsequent war has left large parts of Gaza destroyed, killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, and resulted in hundreds of Israeli military deaths across fighting in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.

Opposition reaction ahead of the October vote

The revelations surfaced in the middle of campaigning for the Israeli parliamentary election scheduled for 27 October 2026. Opposition leaders responded with criticism of the prime minister's conduct and demanded an investigation into his pre-attack decisions. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett stated on social media that Netanyahu bears personal responsibility for the casualties and argued he should step down immediately.

Netanyahu received dozens of warnings before 7 October and ignored them all.

Yair Golan, leader of the opposition party The Democrats, published a video message directly challenging Netanyahu over the findings. The prime minister previously claimed that military commanders did not wake him on the morning of 7 October 2023, while several opposition party leaders issued a joint statement pledging to determine what the prime minister knew prior to the offensive.