UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed allegedly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a purported phone call at the end of September 2023 about a large-scale attack being planned from Gaza. The call allegedly lasted 45 minutes.
Bin Zayed allegedly told Netanyahu that former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing an operation that could lead to bloodshed in Israel. The warning that such an operation could destabilize the region and damage the Abraham Accords between Israel and Arab countries was also allegedly raised during the call.
Claim that the information reached the UAE
Bin Zayed allegedly received the information from a message Sinwar had directly conveyed to a Fatah negotiator after no progress was made in negotiations for a prisoner exchange. Sinwar allegedly said that the Israelis would face the consequences of the dispute and that a major operation was being prepared.
The Fatah official initially considered passing the information to Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, but later decided to convey it to the UAE. The information allegedly reached Shin Bet in mid-September 2023 but was not considered a threat, after which Bin Zayed allegedly decided to speak with Netanyahu.
Netanyahu allegedly ignored the warning
Netanyahu allegedly believed that a possible attack would come from the West Bank rather than Gaza and played down Bin Zayed’s warning. Although then-Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar called for action against Hamas on October 1, 2023, Netanyahu allegedly took no decision and did not inform the intelligence agency about the purported call with Bin Zayed.
A Shin Bet official said that, had they been aware of the warnings, they might have attached greater importance to Sinwar’s threats. The official also said they could have understood why Hamas had suddenly withdrawn from the prisoner-exchange negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister’s Office denies the claim
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office denied that such a meeting took place between Netanyahu and UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed. The claims that the meeting occurred and that the warning reached Netanyahu therefore require independent verification.
