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Israeli paper Haaretz (Lean Left bias) reported on Tuesday that just before Hamas' October 7, 2023, terror attack, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas was planning a major operation against Israel. Netanyahu has since described the report as "false."

The Report: Haaretz said bin Zayed was surprised that Netanyahu reacted calmly when he told him this, and assured him Israel was prepared for any scenario. The paper also reported speaking to "a close adviser to bin Zayed, a Palestinian who had emigrated years ago from Gaza to Abu Dhabi and maintained strong ties in the Strip." The adviser said bin Zayed "explained that, in his assessment, Sinwar was preparing for a major event" and "hoped that despite his reserved response, Netanyahu would take the message seriously and take action."

2023 Political Context: Haaretz reported speaking to a Palestinian official also trusted by Israeli intelligence who said Israel and Gaza were closer than ever to a deal during the summer of 2023 and that the only main thing to be worked out was prisoner exchanges. Haaretz framed this as happening amid "ongoing internal upheaval in Israel." Haaretz wrote, "Netanyahu repeatedly postponed [finalizing the hostage deal]. Perhaps he did so out of fear of reaching an agreement with Hamas, or perhaps out of fear of the reaction from his extremist partners in his new government."

Netanyahu's Response: Netanyahu's office told Haaretz its investigation is an "absolute lie" and that "Netanyahu didn't speak to the president of the UAE during the period in question and received no warning from him." Netanyahu said on behalf of his Likud party that the report was politically motivated and demanded that a criminal investigation be opened into Haaretz, the reporters, and his political opponent Yair Golan and his Democrats party. His office also said, "This is a sinister libel with clear political timing, as part of the left's election campaign, and there will be more such false libels."

UAE Comment: The UAE's Foreign Ministry said it "does not comment on reports or speculations published in the media regarding conversations between government leaders."

Current Political Context: Israel will hold parliamentary elections on October 27. Netanyahu's "right-wing" Likud party has held a significant lead in polls, though in recent months the "centrist" Yashar party has closed the gap, even leading in some polls. Most recently, Netanyahu has called on right-wing leaders Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to unite their parties since Smotrich's party is currently polling below the threshold of votes needed to enter parliament.

Biden Admin Misinfo?: Haaretz also claimed that immediately after the October 7 attacks, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told Israel Hamas was ready to release all the hostages it had taken. Israel reportedly did not want to speak to Hamas, so al-Thani then called Biden administration Secretary of State Antony Blinken to request help in mediating a release deal. Haaretz reported that Blinken said "there's no one to talk to" and that he would "speak with Netanyahu personally" in three days. Of the reporting, Blinken wrote on X, "For the record, this is false. Complete fiction."

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Past Speculation: Haaretz noted that on October 9, 2023, Israeli outlet Ynet reported that one week before the attack, Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel warned Netanyahu that "something fierce will happen from Gaza." One year ago, Haaretz reported that the Nova music festival – where, on October 7, 378 Israelis were killed and 44 were taken hostage – was originally slated to end on October 6 but was permitted to extend to October 7 by the IDF. Haaretz said at the time that the IDF had expressed concern that the festival took place too close to Gaza. Notably, in American media, five days after the October 7 attacks, Charlie Kirk (Right) appeared on the Patrick Bet-David Podcast and questioned why Israel took so long to respond to Hamas' attack. He argued that in the nine months leading up to the attack, Israel was "on the brink of civil war" and framed the attack as a "mandate" for Netanyahu's government to "try to ethnically cleanse Gaza."

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How The Media Covered It: Haaretz's original report was picked up by several major mainstream US publications. NBC News (Lean Left) described it as a "political bombshell." The New York Post (Right) described it similarly in its headline, though as a "bombshell" that Netanyahu "furiously" disputed. Several major outlets also covered Netanyahu's denial and plans to sue Haaretz. In its coverage of this, The Times of Israel (Center) reported that "an Emirati source familiar with the conversation confirmed the Haaretz newspaper's report to The Times of Israel on Tuesday." Haaretz has stood by its reporting.

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