Netanyahu sues Haaretz over alleged UAE warning ahead of Oct. 7 attack

On 9 September 2026 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had instructed his lawyers to file a libel lawsuit against the Hebrew-language newspaper Haaretz, journalist Shlomi Eldar, and co-author Ruth Yuval. The suit targets Haaretz’s report that Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, warned Netanyahu in a phone call about a forthcoming Hamas offensive days before the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre. Netanyahu’s office called the story a “malicious fabrication” and said internal reviews found no record of such a conversation.

Netanyahu Sends Warning Letter, Threatens Libel Suit Against Haaretz Over UAE Warning Report: 12 outlets compared Netanyahu to Sue Haaretz Over Report on Warning Before Hamas Attack – AtlasPress News Agency NewsweekCommon DreamsNew York PostHaaretz Says UAE President Mohamed Bin Zayed Warned Netanyahu Before Oct. 7 Hamas Attack: 40 outlets compared i24NEWSThe GuardianNew YorkerIgnored Oct. 7 'warning' from UAE lands Netanyahu in hot water

Haaretz’s investigation, based on a forthcoming book, cites three senior foreign sources, a recording, and internal documents that a 45-minute call took place in late September 2023—approximately ten days before the Oct. 7 attack. The report says the Emirati president warned that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a “major operation” that could destabilise the region and threaten the Abraham Accords.

TND - The National Desk

The allegation surfaced amid Israel’s election campaign for the Oct. 27, 2026 general election, intensifying scrutiny of Netanyahu’s handling of pre-Oct. 7 intelligence. Opposition leaders have called for an independent commission of inquiry, while Netanyahu has repeatedly denied any such warning.

The Guardian

• 8 September 2026 – Haaretz publishes the investigation.

Netanyahu Sends Warning Letter, Threatens Libel Suit Against Haaretz Over UAE Warning Report: 12 outlets compared

• 9 September 2026 – Netanyahu announces the libel suit.

Netanyahu Sends Warning Letter, Threatens Libel Suit Against Haaretz Over UAE Warning Report: 12 outlets compared

• 23 September 2023 – Date cited by some sources for the alleged UAE-Israel call.

New York Post

• 7 October 2023 – Hamas-led assault kills >1,200 Israelis and takes 251 hostages.

TND - The National Desk

• 27 October 2026 – National election day.

Newsweek

• The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement that reviews of the Prime Minister’s call log, the National Security Council, and the Military Secretariat found no entry for an Emirati representative or any call from the UAE president between early September and Oct. 7.

i24NEWS

• Former strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer told a Washington conference that he would have been aware of any such call and affirmed, “Did a conversation take place? No.”

The Jerusalem Post

Opposition figures have seized on the report as evidence of Netanyahu’s alleged negligence:

Common Dreams

• Naftali Bennett, former prime minister, said Netanyahu “bears personal and direct responsibility” for the deaths and cannot continue in office.

The Guardian

• Ben Caspit argued that the silence of the Emirati side “is also a statement,” implying tacit acknowledgment of the warning.

The Jerusalem Post

• Haaretz and several international outlets (The Guardian, New Yorker, i24news) present the call as documented by recordings and multiple senior sources.

UAE Refuses To Comment After Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Warned Netanyahu Before Oct. 7: 71 outlets compared

• The Prime Minister’s Office, UAE Foreign Ministry, and Ron Dermer deny any conversation took place, citing lack of call-log entries and the standard practice of routing intelligence through secure channels.

The Jerusalem Post

• No public record of the alleged 45-minute call has been produced, and the UAE has neither confirmed nor denied the specific conversation.

The Jerusalem Post