United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly before the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks that Hamas was planning a large-scale offensive against Israel, according to Israeli media reports.

Mr Netanyahu’s office strongly denied the allegation on Tuesday evening.

“The press reports are false,” his office said. “No warning was given to the prime minister from the United Arab Emirates before October 7.”

Earlier, Haaretz reported that Netanyahu failed to inform Israel’s security chiefs or take action even after receiving a personal warning from the Emirati president. According to the report, Mr bin Zayed called Mr Netanyahu from the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi about a week and a half before the October 7 attacks and spoke with him for 45 minutes.

During the call, the Emirati leader reportedly warned Mr Netanyahu that then-Hamas leader Yehya al-Sinwar was planning a large-scale attack on Israel.

Mr Bin Zayed also expressed concern that such an attack would not only lead to bloodshed but also destabilise the wider region and undermine the Abraham Accords, which normalised relations between Israel and several Arab states, the report said.

According to Haaretz, Mr bin Zayed urged Mr Netanyahu to take the warning seriously and prepare for a potential attack.

Mr Netanyahu, however, reportedly reacted “relatively calmly” and assured the Emirati leader that Israel was “prepared for any scenario”. He was said to have considered the situation in the West Bank far more volatile.

The Times of Israel said on Tuesday evening that it had independently confirmed the Haaretz report. It cited an unidentified Emirati source who said Mr bin Zayed had called Mr Netanyahu just days before the Hamas attacks and warned him that the militant group was planning an assault on Israel.

The UAE declined to comment directly on the reports, saying it would not comment on media reports or speculation about conversations between leaders. The UAE said its efforts since October 7, 2023 consistently focused on de-escalation, regional stability, and preventing further violence.

Haaretz said three senior foreign government officials were informed of the call’s contents. The newspaper cited an adviser to Mr bin Zayed who was familiar with the conversation. The Haaretz investigation was conducted by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval, who have written a book about the hostages held in the Gaza Strip and the Gaza war.

The newspaper said its investigation was based on interviews with dozens of sources, including senior officials in Israel and other countries.

The report comes ahead of Israel’s general election next month, with polls suggesting that neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor his opponents are currently assured of a majority.

Mr Netanyahu’s main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, seized on the report to criticise the prime minister.

“More and more signs point to the fact that Netanyahu blindly led Israel into the disaster of October 7,” Mr Eisenkot stated.

Mr Eisenkot, leader of the centrist Yashar party, accused Mr Netanyahu of ignoring dozens of warnings and said he was unfit to serve as prime minister.

(dpa/NAN)