UAE Response to October 7 Warning Claims About Netanyahu

Hours after Israeli newspaper Haaretz published its report, the United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry issued its first official response Tuesday evening regarding claims that President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about significant Hamas activity a week and a half before the October 7 massacre. Notably, the Emirati statement did not deny that such a conversation took place, in contrast to the denial issued by Netanyahu's office.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that the UAE government does not respond to media stories or speculation regarding conversations between government leaders," the statement read. "The UAE's engagement since October 7 has been consistently aimed at de-escalation, regional stability, and the prevention of violence."

The ministry further clarified that "the UAE government and officials in the Israeli government have maintained open and direct lines of communication since the establishment of relations between the countries more than five years ago. When necessary, all relevant intelligence has been and continues to be transferred between the relevant parties."

Separately, Netanyahu's office released a denial in English, stating: "The media reports are incorrect. No warning was given to the Prime Minister by the United Arab Emirates before October 7. If there was any relevant information, it was transferred through intelligence channels between the two countries."

The Emirati statement follows the Haaretz report claiming that approximately a week and a half before the October 7 attack, bin Zayed spoke with Netanyahu and warned him that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a significant move against Israel. According to the report, the UAE president sought to alert Netanyahu to the possibility of developments that would lead to bloodshed and destabilize the region. The investigation further alleged that Netanyahu assessed the move bin Zayed reportedly warned about concerned the West Bank, and that security establishment heads were not briefed on the purported warning.