Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his intention to sue the newspaper Haaretz over a report that claimed he was warned by the United Arab Emirates president about the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack 10 days prior.
According to the report, citing journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuva’s new book “Kidnapped: 843 Days of Abandonment,” UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed called Netanyahu to alert him that Hamas was planning a significant operation. Netanyahu's office stated on X that the Prime Minister has instructed his lawyers to file a libel lawsuit against Haaretz, Eldar, and others involved in fabricating the story, which they described as false and nonexistent.
The Prime Minister's office characterized the report as a "sinister libel with clear political timing, as part of the left’s election campaign," asserting that more such false libels are expected. Netanyahu suggested the story, published weeks before Israel's general elections, was a politically motivated attack by Haaretz, a publication known for its criticism of his handling of ongoing conflicts.
Netanyahu also alleged that the newspaper based its story on a Palestinian official as a source for the alleged conversation between bin Zayed and himself. He further claimed that Eldar had received funding from a "left-wing" nonprofit connected to the political party of his rival, Yair Golan.
Haaretz has maintained its reporting, and an Emirati source confirmed to The Times of Israel that the call between Netanyahu and bin Zayed did occur. The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on media reports or speculations regarding conversations between government leaders.
The Haaretz report echoes previous accounts that Netanyahu's government received warnings about the Hamas attack days before it happened. The story specifically claimed that bin Zayed warned Israel that Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation to destabilize the region. It also alleged that Netanyahu dismissed the warning, reportedly believing an attack would originate from the West Bank rather than the Gaza border.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas launched an assault on Israeli border communities, resulting in over 1,200 deaths and 251 abductions, an event that triggered the current war in the Middle East. Netanyahu has faced criticism for security failures on that day, and he remains the only top official not to have resigned or left office since the attack. Despite calls for an official government inquiry into the events of Oct. 7, Netanyahu has rejected such an investigation.