Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared he will file a lawsuit against the Haaretz newspaper regarding a recent report alleging he received advance warning of the October 7, 2023, Hamas offensive. In a statement posted to the platform X on Wednesday, Netanyahu condemned the article as “fabricated” and “false,” confirming that his legal team has been instructed to pursue action against both the publication and the journalists responsible, Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yaval.
The contentious report, released on Tuesday, asserted that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ) notified Netanyahu of a potential attack ten days prior to the events of October 7. According to Haaretz, Sinwar, the then-leader of Hamas, communicated through an intermediary that he was orchestrating a “huge surprise” and urged contacts to inform Israel to “expect an earthquake.” The report claimed MBZ interpreted these messages as indicators of an imminent full-scale assault and forwarded the intelligence to Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, which reportedly dismissed the threat. MBZ subsequently raised the warning directly with Netanyahu, who also allegedly disregarded it.
The October 7 attacks resulted in the deaths of at least 1,195 people in southern Israel and the abduction of 251 others, triggering a war in Gaza that has killed at least 73,669 Palestinians. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to address the allegations on Tuesday, stating in a brief statement that it does not comment on media speculation concerning conversations between government leaders.
Netanyahu characterized the report as “politically motivated” and described it as a component of the “left’s election campaign” ahead of the October Knesset votes, where he currently trails former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. He specifically denied holding a phone conversation with MBZ, citing an internal review by the National Security Council and the Military Secretary. “The review meticulously examined the Prime Minister’s call log for those days—and found no trace of it whatsoever,” he said.
In a separate development, Netanyahu implicated Palestinian political figure Muhammad Dahlan as the source of the “false report.” Dahlan, who resides in the UAE after being expelled from the Fatah party in 2011 amid a dispute with President Mahmoud Abbas, has denied responsibility through his representatives, according to Israeli media outlets.
Litigation over a decade-old intelligence dispute feels like a distraction from the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
I find it suspicious that the UAE refuses to comment. Why stay silent if the allegations are completely fabricated?
No record of a call? That seems pretty damning for the newspaper’s claims. The evidence really does matter here.
Suing journalists for reporting alleged warnings is a dangerous precedent. Transparency matters, even when the news is uncomfortable.