UAE warned Netanyahu of Hamas attack before Oct 7, NYT backs Israeli media report

• Warning was reportedly not raised at Netanyahu's Oct 1 security huddle.
• Five former Israeli security officials told NYT info didn't reach meeting.
• NYT reviewed minutes of the October 1 meeting as part of its reporting.

The United Arab Emirates warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late September 2023 that Hamas was planning a major attack, The New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the call and former Israeli security officials.

UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed called Netanyahu and passed on information that Hamas was preparing an attack, according to the report. The warning did not specify whether Hamas planned to fire rockets or launch a ground assault into Israel.

The information was not raised at a meeting Netanyahu held with Israel's security chiefs on October 1, six days before the Hamas attack, according to five former senior Israeli security officials who spoke to the Times. The newspaper also reviewed minutes of the meeting.

At the meeting, Netanyahu stressed the need to maintain calm in Gaza. He also pushed back against suggestions from security officials that Israel should consider strikes against senior Hamas figures involved in attacks from the Gaza Strip, according to the meeting minutes.

Netanyahu also said Israeli military action in Gaza could damage the prospect of Saudi Arabia establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, a deal he believed was close, the report said.

The warning had first been reported by Israeli newspaper Haaretz earlier this month. 

AFP reported at the time that Haaretz had said bin Zayed contacted Netanyahu around 10 days before the October 7 attack after receiving information that Hamas was preparing a major operation.

According to the account reported by AFP, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had told a former Palestinian official that the group was preparing what he described as a major or “terrifying” operation. 

The former official passed the information to an Emirati adviser, who then conveyed it to bin Zayed before the UAE leader contacted Netanyahu.

Netanyahu has denied receiving any warning from bin Zayed. His office said that if relevant information had been received from the UAE, it would have been passed through intelligence channels between the two countries.

The UAE has also declined to comment directly on reports about conversations between its leaders and foreign officials, while saying relevant intelligence is shared when necessary, AFP reported.

The October 7 attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in around 250 people being taken hostage. 

The assault exposed major failures in Israel's security and intelligence system and has since become a major issue in the country's debate over responsibility for the failure to prevent the attack.

The NYT report also points to other warnings that were not acted upon. Israeli security officials had obtained a Hamas battle plan in 2022, known as the “Jericho Wall”, but military leaders reportedly considered it unrealistic. Other intelligence assessments had also concluded that Hamas was not preparing for a major war.

The UAE and Israel established diplomatic relations in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. The relationship has remained an important part of Israel's ties with the Arab world despite the war in Gaza.

The new report comes as Israelis prepare for national elections next month, with the question of responsibility for the October 7 security failures emerging as a major political issue.