Israeli opposition leaders have demanded Netanyahu resignation after a report claimed the United Arab Emirates warned him about a planned Hamas operation before the October 7, 2023 attack.
The report was based on an excerpt from a book written by journalists of an Israeli newspaper. It said UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu around a week and a half before the attack.
According to the report, the Emirati president warned Netanyahu that Hamas was preparing a major operation. The reported warning has now triggered renewed criticism of the Israeli prime minister and raised questions over whether the information was properly handled.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett strongly criticized Netanyahu following the report. Bennett said Netanyahu bears direct responsibility for the October 7 attack and argued that he should not remain in office even for another minute.
The calls for Netanyahu resignation have come from Israeli opposition figures who say the reported warning raises serious concerns about the government’s handling of security information before the attack. The issue has added to existing political pressure on Netanyahu.
However, Netanyahu’s office rejected the report and denied that the UAE had issued any warning to the Israeli prime minister before October 7. The office did not accept the claim that Abu Dhabi had provided advance information about a planned Hamas attack.
The UAE Foreign Ministry also declined to comment directly on the report. It said Israel and the UAE maintain open and direct communication channels and that relevant intelligence information has been shared between the appropriate authorities.
