U.A.E. warned Netanyahu of major Hamas operation days before Oct. 7 attack: Israeli newspaper

U.A.E. warned Netanyahu of major Hamas operation days before Oct. 7 attack: Israeli newspaper

Haaretz says Netanyahu's office called report 'absolute lie'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was directly warned by the president of the United Arab Emirates that Hamas was planning a major offensive just days before the militant group led an attack on Oct. 7, 2023 , according to an Israeli newspaper.

U.A.E. President Mohammed bin Zayed spoke with Netanyahu 10 days before the attack and said Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza at the time, was planning an operation, the Haaretz daily said.

Bin Zayed said it would lead to bloodshed and could destabilize the region and undermine the Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations, the newspaper reported.

But Netanyahu "reacted with relative calm," according to Haaretz, which said he assured bin Zayed that Israel was prepared for any scenario and a possible attack was more likely to come from the occupied West Bank.

The attack led by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 killed some 1,200 people and took another 251 hostage, according to Israeli officials.

Haaretz reported Netanyahu's office called the report an "absolute lie" and said Netanyahu did not speak with the U.A.E. president "during the period in question and received no warning from him."

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Netanyahu has rejected calls for an official government inquiry into the events surrounding the Oct. 7 attack. His office did not respond to a request for comment.

The U.A.E.'s Foreign Ministry also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Israel is holding national elections next month and Netanyahu's actions around the time of the Oct. 7 attack are a key issue in the campaign.

Gadi Eisenkot, a former top general seen as Netanyahu's main opponent in the election, accused the prime minister of ignoring dozens of warnings ahead of the attack.

"He is unfit," Eisenkot wrote on social media.

Another Netanyahu rival, Naftali Bennett, said, "Netanyahu bears personal and direct responsibility for the failure that led to the deaths of thousands of Israelis on his watch."

Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,650 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.