Netanyahu is suing an Israeli newspaper over claims he ignored a direct warning from the UAE just days before the October 7 attack
Bringing the receipts.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has officially directed his legal team to initiate defamation proceedings against the newspaper Haaretz. According to the BBC, this move follows a bombshell report published on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, that alleges the leader of the United Arab Emirates provided a direct, high-level warning to Netanyahu regarding a potential major operation by Hamas just days before the October 7, 2023, attacks.
The situation has now escalated into a heated public dispute. Netanyahu is calling the allegations a fabricated, sinister plot designed to influence the upcoming general election. The report, which stems from research for a forthcoming book titled Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment by authors Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval, paints a picture of a missed opportunity to prevent a catastrophe.
According to the article, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, often referred to as MBZ, initiated a phone call with Netanyahu in late September 2023. Haaretz claims that a representative from the UAE embassy delivered a special phone to the prime minister’s office to ensure the conversation remained confidential. During this call, MBZ allegedly relayed concerns that then-Hamas chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, was planning an operation described as an earthquake.
The Haaretz investigation suggests that UAE’s MBZ was significantly worried
He felt such an event would not only result in immense loss of life but also destabilize the entire region. The report indicates that the UAE president felt compelled to share this information after receiving intelligence from an intermediary who had been in contact with Sinwar. According to the claims, Sinwar was reportedly frustrated by stalled prisoner exchange negotiations and the ongoing blockade of Gaza, leading him to signal that a massive surprise was in the works.
However, the account provided by Haaretz alleges that Netanyahu’s reaction was surprisingly calm. The report claims the PM dismissed the severity of the warning, suggesting that his own assessment was that Hamas was primarily focused on operations within the West Bank area. Furthermore, the report asserts that Netanyahu failed to brief the heads of the Shin Bet, the Mossad, or the Israeli army’s chief of staff about the conversation with the UAE president.
Netanyahu has been vocal and aggressive in his denial of these claims. On September 10, he took to X to address the report directly, calling it false and politically motivated. According to Al Jazeera, he said that the National Security Council and his military secretary had meticulously reviewed his call logs for that period and found absolutely no trace of any such conversation with the UAE president.
He has gone as far as to suggest that the report is part of a deliberate effort by the political left to damage his standing ahead of the elections scheduled for October 27. In a separate statement, the PM even pointed to Palestinian political figure Muhammad Dahlan as the source behind what he terms a false report. Representatives for Dahlan have reportedly rejected this accusation.
Netanyahu’s office maintains that no warning was ever given to him by the UAE before October 7
Meanwhile, the legal team for Haaretz has made it clear that they aren’t backing down. They argue that the report is the product of in-depth journalistic investigation and is based on a wide array of sources, documents, and correspondence.
Their response to the threat of a lawsuit was firm, stating that the newspaper’s sole purpose is to fulfill its role in providing accountability to the public. They contend that in the absence of a full explanation regarding the events leading up to the October 7 tragedy, the press must continue to expose information step by step.
This controversy is landing in a particularly sensitive political environment. As the country prepares for the upcoming general election, these polls are widely viewed as a referendum on Netanyahu’s leadership. Netanyahu’s Likud Party has characterized the report as blatant foreign interference, further highlighting the deep divisions currently defining the political landscape.
The international community is also watching closely, especially as the region continues to grapple with the aftermath of October 7. On that day, thousands of Hamas-led gunmen breached the Gaza border fence, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,195 people and the abduction of 251 others.
Israel’s subsequent intensification of the genocide in Gaza, with help from the United States, has since resulted in a staggering death toll. At least 73,669 Palestinians have been killed according to figures from the health ministry.
A formal investigation has been sought
Four of Israel’s main opposition leaders, including Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan, have issued a joint statement demanding a formal investigation into the matter. They argue that the current government is unfit to continue in office and have pledged to work together to prevent further disasters.
As the legal battle between Netanyahu and Haaretz moves forward, it’s clear that the questions surrounding the intelligence and warnings provided in the final days of September 2023 will remain a central, and highly contentious, part of the national conversation. For now, the UAE has maintained a neutral stance on the specific allegations, stating only that it does not comment on media speculation regarding conversations between leaders.
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