Netanyahu meets UAE president following reports of advance warnings before October 7 attack

Secret meeting in Abu Dhabi

On Sunday, 27 September 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew by private plane to Abu Dhabi for an unannounced four-hour visit. Netanyahu met with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for roughly one hour, with talks taking place at Abu Dhabi airport. The trip, first revealed by Israel's Channel 12 television station, was confirmed on Monday evening by the official Emirates News Agency, WAM. The state news agency reported that the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to develop and strengthen them. The UAE Foreign Ministry declined to address specific details of the discussion, while affirming that it maintains open and direct lines of communication with Israel and shares all relevant intelligence.

Reported warnings ahead of October 7

People briefed on the visit stated that Netanyahu traveled to request an official denial of an investigation published on 8 September by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. According to that report, Mohamed bin Zayed held a 45-minute phone call with Netanyahu roughly a week and a half before the 7 October 2023 attacks. Three high-level foreign sources cited by Haaretz said the Emirati leader warned that Yahya Sinwar, then the leader of Hamas in Gaza, was preparing a large-scale military operation against Israel. Bin Zayed reportedly advised Netanyahu to prepare Israeli forces while seeking an economic solution for Gaza and reducing tensions in the West Bank. The report stated that Netanyahu dismissed the warning by arguing that Hamas planned to act in the West Bank, assured the Emirati president that Israel was prepared for any scenario, and did not relay the conversation to heads of Israeli security agencies.

Libel threats and Egyptian alerts

Netanyahu's office has consistently denied receiving advance warnings about the 7 October assault from any channel, placing responsibility for the security breakdown on Israeli military and intelligence leadership. Following the Haaretz investigation, Netanyahu announced that he would file a libel lawsuit against the publication. Other foreign alerts have also surfaced in international media, including reports by The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic citing a warning from Abbas Kamel, the former head of Egyptian intelligence, in early October 2023. Netanyahu denied receiving information from Kamel and ordered legal action regarding those reports as well. The Israeli prime minister's office did not issue an immediate comment on Monday regarding the meeting in Abu Dhabi.

Domestic political fallout

The controversy arrives one month before Israeli parliamentary elections scheduled for 27 October 2026, where Netanyahu's coalition is trailing opposition parties in opinion polls. Israeli opposition figures condemned Netanyahu following reports of the UAE meeting and the pre-attack warnings. Yair Golan, the leader of the left-wing Democrats, published video footage from June 2023 showing Netanyahu discussing the threat posed by Hamas.

You knew. You ignored it. Netanyahu, you're the one in charge. You're responsible.

Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party and a former defence minister under Netanyahu, stated that he had warned the prime minister in 2016 about the risk of a cross-border raid from Gaza. The political opposition argues that the accumulating accounts of advance warnings undermine the government's official defense ahead of the October vote.