Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his lawyers to begin a defamation lawsuit against the Israeli newspaper Ha … after the paper reported that the UAE president had warned him that Hamas was preparing a major operation just days before the devastating attacks on 7 October 2023.
Ha … has stood by its claim, saying the story is grounded in extensive research and refutes accusations that it seeks to silence journalistic critique. The newspaper’s report is based on “three foreign senior sources” and a Palestinian adviser to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to the paper’s own admission.
The clarion of the alleged warning comes as Israel braces for a national election on 27 October, with polls casting Netanyahu’s leadership as a referendum on his record. Critics argue that the prime minister’s failure to act swiftly after the attack, combined with his recent refusal to allow an independent inquiry, exposes deep flaws in governance.
The Ha … story also details that Netanyahu allegedly shared the warning with the Israeli intelligence agencies and military leadership, yet made no effort to brief senior officials on the conversation. It further claims that the UAE’s embassy communicated the same warning to the CIA, underscoring the gravity the issue is said to have had beyond Israel.
The UAE government has neither denied nor confirmed the alleged exchange, instead stating that it has worked to maintain de‑escalation and regional stability since the attack. The statement was issued only after the Ha … report made public.
Four opposition leaders—Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman and Yair Golan—issued a joint statement demanding an investigation, calling on Netanyahu and his allies to resign as a condition for any circumstances that might prevent repeated disaster.
