Netanyahu to Sue Haaretz Over October 7 Warning Claim
| Legal Action | Benjamin Netanyahu instructed lawyers to sue Haaretz and journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yaval. |
|---|---|
| Core Allegation | Haaretz reported UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed alerted Netanyahu to an imminent attack 10 days before October 7, 2023. |
| Prime Minister's Defense | Netanyahu denied the report, stating internal reviews of call logs showed no record of the alleged conversation. |
| UAE Response | The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it does not comment on media speculation regarding leaders' conversations. |
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced plans to launch legal action against the newspaper Haaretz and two of its reporters over an article claiming he was alerted to Hamas’s attack plans days before October 7, 2023. In a statement released on Wednesday, Netanyahu rejected the newspaper’s report as untrue and instructed his legal team to proceed with lawsuits against the publication alongside journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yaval.
Allegations in the Haaretz Report
The report published by Haaretz claimed that United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed communicated directly with Netanyahu 10 days prior to the October 7 assault. According to the article, former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had passed warnings through an intermediary expressing anger over stalled prisoner exchange negotiations and the blockade on Gaza. Sinwar reportedly stated he was preparing a “huge surprise” and advised contacts that Israel should “expect an earthquake.”
Haaretz reported that Emirati officials interpreted these remarks as preparations for a major military operation and forwarded intelligence to Israel’s internal security service, Shin Bet, which allegedly dismissed the warning. The report further alleged that the UAE president then raised the issue directly with Netanyahu during a phone conversation, but the prime minister also disregarded the information.
Denials and Political Context
Netanyahu firmly rejected the allegations, describing the article as “fabricated” and “false.” He asserted that the story was “politically motivated” and intended to serve the “left’s election campaign” ahead of Israel’s upcoming Knesset elections in October, where polls indicate he is trailing former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. Netanyahu stated that both the National Security Council and his Military Secretary reviewed his official phone records for the period in question and “found no trace of it whatsoever.”
In addition, Netanyahu accused exiled Palestinian politician Muhammad Dahlan of being the source behind the article. Dahlan, who was expelled from the Fatah faction in 2011 following a dispute with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and currently resides in the UAE, denied involvement through representatives cited in Israeli media.
Official Responses
The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs addressed the matter by declining to confirm or deny the alleged exchange. In a statement, the ministry noted that “the UAE government does not comment on media stories or speculation regarding conversations between government leaders.”
Background
The October 7, 2023 attacks by Palestinian fighters resulted in the deaths of at least 1,195 people in southern Israel, with approximately 251 individuals taken as captives. The attack led to a large-scale Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of at least 73,669 Palestinians.
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