Report: MBZ Told Netanyahu About Hamas Operation, but He Took No Action

About 10 days before Hamas launched its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed reportedly gave Benjamin Netanyahu a private warning: Hamas was preparing a large-scale assault.

According to a report by Haaretz, the Israeli prime minister did not relay the information to senior security officials and took no action. The report is based on a new book, “Kidnapped: 843 Days of Abandonment,” by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval. The book draws on interviews with dozens of sources, including senior officials in Israel and elsewhere.

The book says three senior foreign officials were briefed on the contents of a 45-minute telephone conversation between Mohammed bin Zayed and Netanyahu in late September. Haaretz also cited an adviser to the UAE leader who was directly familiar with the call. The report said MBZ’s knowledge of the threat came from Yahya Sinwar.

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Tell the Israelis that if they do not move forward, I am preparing a big surprise for them.

In mid-2023, Sinwar was frustrated by stalled negotiations over a prisoner exchange with Israel. Hamas was holding several Israelis who had entered Gaza voluntarily, as well as the remains of two soldiers. Sinwar had repeatedly warned a senior Fatah official to tell Israel what would happen if an agreement was not advanced quickly.

“Tell the Israelis that if they do not move forward, I am preparing a big surprise for them,” Sinwar said, according to the quoted conversation. “Tell them to prepare for an earthquake.”

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Tell them to prepare for an earthquake.