Netanyahu says he’ll sue Haaretz over report UAE leader warned him days before Oct. 7

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he would sue the Haaretz daily over its report that said he had been warned by the Emirati president about Hamas plans to attack Israel days before the October 7, 2023, onslaught and didn’t act on the information. Netanyahu reasserted on X that there had been no call between him and Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed between early September 2023 and the October 7 invasion. He argued that any such call would have left clear documentation, which he said has not been found by the Prime Minister’s Office team. “This is a sinister libel with clear political timing, as part of the left’s election campaign, and there will be more such false libels,” he said, claiming yet again that had he been alerted by Israel’s security chiefs about the signs of a potential Hamas attack hours before it started, “the terrible massacre could have been prevented.” He said he has ordered his lawyers to sue the outlet and reporter Shlomi Eldar, who wrote the story. In response, Haaretz said it stood by its reporting. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms An Emirati source familiar with the conversation confirmed the Haaretz newspaper’s report to The Times of Israel later Tuesday. Netanyahu’s election rival Naftali Bennett said after publication of the Haaretz report that it was “true.” The former prime minister did not offer any details on how he knew this, though he is known to be friendly with bin Zayed. According to the report, bin Zayed (known as MBZ) warned Netanyahu in a 45-minute phone call in late September that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning major action against Israel that would lead to bloodshed, unsettle the region and potentially harm the Abraham Accords. Advertisement Benjamin Netanyahu, left, Yahya Sinwar, center and Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, Abed Rahim Khatib/ Flash90/ File, AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) The report said MBZ was surprised by Netanyahu’s response, which was largely dismissive, with the Israeli premier telling him Jerusalem was on top of things in Gaza, that any Hamas action was likely to come in the West Bank, and that Israel was prepared for any scenario. On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorists launched a cross-border, multipronged assault, catching Israel by complete surprise. Terrorists brutally massacred 1,200 people in southern communities, mostly civilians, took 251 hostages to Gaza, and sparked years of conflict that has spread across the Middle East. While Netanyahu labeled the report a “total lie,” opposition leaders charged that it was further proof Netanyahu was unfit to be prime minister. In the aftermath of that report, new details emerged on Wednesday about previously reported Egyptian warnings issued around the same period. According to Army Radio, the Shin Bet intelligence service presented Netanyahu with warnings it received from Egyptian counterparts about Hamas’s intentions to “make the ground in Gaza tremble.” The Egyptians gave only that general warning, with no precise details, the report said. Advertisement Army Radio said then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar assessed that the warning meant — at least in part — that Hamas wanted to include the issue of then-kidnapped Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov in talks with Israel about a potential hostage deal. Hamas and Iraqi Shiite militia Kataeb Hezbollah — the group that was holding Tsurkov — had come to an agreement shortly before the warning that Tsurkov would be considered a Hamas asset for talks with Israel on releasing a large number of terrorists in exchange for the handover of two Israeli captives and the bodies of two IDF soldiers held in Gaza. Tsurkov was eventually released in September 2025. Members of an Iraqi Shiite group attend a funeral of a Kataeb Hezbollah fighter, who was killed in a US airstrike in Basra province south of Baghdad, Iraq, on April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) In the days after the October 7 onslaught, an Egyptian intelligence official said that Jerusalem had ignored repeated warnings that the Gaza-based terror group was planning “something big” — which included an apparent direct notice from Cairo’s intelligence minister to the prime minister. Last week, Netanyahu denounced Israel’s security chiefs for purportedly choosing not to wake him in the hours before the attack when, he said, “all the signs were there” that Hamas was about to invade, and claimed he would have immediately mobilized the IDF and taken other steps necessary to ensure that October 7 “would not have taken place.” According to a Channel 12 report on Friday, Netanyahu took at least two hours to leave his Caesarea home and head to the IDF’s Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv after being told that Hamas-led terrorists were attacking Israel at 6:29 on the morning of October 7, 2023. He did not contact the heads of the IDF and Shin Bet in that time, or en route to the Kirya, the TV report further said, though he was in contact with his military secretary. According to his own published schedule, the prime minister only ordered the Gaza border closed and a full IDF mobilization at 9:55 a.m. Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting. — Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist Support our work Support our work Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You're a dedicated reader We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE , as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel Join Our Community Join Our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 Comedians pull out of Lisbon festival after Jerry Seinfeld announced as headliner 2 Days before Oct. 7, UAE leader warned Netanyahu Hamas was planning war, but PM did nothing with info – report 3 Inside story In protests and politics, ‘Zionists’ are being blamed for NYC housing woes 4 Adidas apologizes for ‘offense’ over promotion featuring ex-IDF soldier who lost leg in 2021 5 In first for Israel, ultra-Orthodox party picks a woman to run on its Knesset slate 6 Denouncing ‘ethnic cleansing’ in West Bank, UK announces ban on all dealings with settlements 7 Op-ed With his own hands, Yair Lapid dismantled his life’s work 8 Britain set to declare trade ban with West Bank settlements on Tuesday amid E1 dispute read more: Israel & the Region October 7 Hamas atrocities Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas 2023-2025 Israel-Hamas war Haaretz Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Israel-UAE relations If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? Log in here close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] Continue Or Continue with By joining you agree to the terms and conditions Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition back close popup Register to continue Email address * Change REGISTER Or Continue with back close popup Log in to continue Email address * Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.. Continue back close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register You are currently registered. Please join The Times of Israel Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits Only ToI Community members can comment below articles Email address * Password * Incorrect password. Please try again or choose an option below. Forgot your password? / Send me a login link Continue Sign in without joining Or Continue with close popup Check your email We sent an email to you at . It has a link that will sign you in. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. back close popup Join The Times of Israel Community Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits. Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] JOIN NOW! close popup Thank you! Now check your email You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.