New Delhi: Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), explicitly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a potential attack by Hamas, weeks before the 7 October 2023 attacks, according to a new report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The President of the UAE, more commonly known as “MBZ”, had a 45-minute call with Netanyahu sometime around the end of September 2023, and warned him of a potential strike by Hamas. Despite the warnings, the Israeli newspaper reports that no action was taken by the Israeli Prime Minister.
“But this time, the call initiated by bin Zayed was unusual. A week and a half before October 7, 2023, the Emirati ruler called Netanyahu from the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi and spoke with him for 45 minutes,” reports Haaretz.
The report added: “In that conversation, bin Zayed warned that Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, was planning a major operation against Israel. Bin Zayed expressed concern that the event in question would not only lead to bloodshed but also destabilise the entire region and undermine the Abraham Accords.”
MBZ urged Israel to be prepared for such an event, while also recommending that an economic solution for the Gaza Strip be found, while calming down the issues in the West Bank. The Israeli Prime Minister informed MBZ that Tel Aviv was prepared for any scenario.
Netanyahu’s office called the allegations by Haaretz an “absolute lie” and that there were no discussions between MBZ and the Israeli Prime Minister in the days before the 7 October attack. However, Israeli politician Naftali Bennet commented that he believes the allegations, as per Israeli media reports.
On 7 October, 2023, Hamas launched its attacks against Israel that left over 1,000 people dead and a further 250 were taken hostage. Despite the warning from MBZ, the Israeli Prime Minister did not inform the heads of the defence and security establishments within the country, the newspaper alleges.
The attacks led to a two-year war, which was brought to a close at the end of 2025. The war led to an Israeli response against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and eventually strikes against Iran in the summer months of 2025. The US and Israel launched strikes against Iran at the end of February this year. The war with Iran continues, albeit in a more limited fashion than witnessed earlier this year.
The situation in West Asia has evolved dramatically from the days before 7 October, 2023. Israel has witnessed some loss in public support amongst Western populations following their response to the attacks and conduct of war in Gaza.
In the months leading up to the war, Hamas had reached out and cultivated a communications channel with Israel to find a truce in their ongoing conflict. The truce, according to Haaretz, would involve the release of at least 50 prisoners and relaxation of certain economic restrictions.
In the summer months of 2023, the two sides had come to an agreement on the economic angle of the deal, while the more sensitive issues—the release of Israeli prisoners and bodies of soldiers held in the Strip in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had demanded that at least 500 prisoners be released in exchange for the four Israelis. Eventually, through negotiations, the number agreed to was roughly 50 prisoners in exchange for the four Israeli prisoners.
By August 2023, the negotiators had accepted the basic outlines of the deal, with only approval of the ministerial committee for hostages and missing persons remaining. However, the newspaper alleges that Netanyahu repeatedly postponed the meeting.
Eventually, Sinwar warned the mediators that Hamas is “preparing a huge surprise” for Israel before vanishing. One of the mediators took the warning to the UAE, and through another intermediary, the warning reached MBZ.
By the evening of 7 October, hours after Hamas launched its attacks against Israel, the Prime Minister of Qatar Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani—the country where the political leadership of the outfit was located—informed the then director of Mossad, David Barnea, that Hamas was willing to release all civilian prisoners—those below the age of 18 and above the age of 50—and offered Doha’s role as a mediator.
However, the offer was rejected.
The war has continued for over two years, leaving the Strip devastated. Israel is currently witnessing elections for the next Prime Minister, with elections scheduled for the end of October 2026.
(Edited by Nivedita Patil)
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