UAE reportedly warned Netanyahu of imminent Hamas attack before Oct. 7, 2023

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is confronting a growing political controversy as the country heads into a tightly contested election campaign. Opposition leaders and several members of Netanyahu’s own coalition have accused the premier of disregarding a direct warning from the United Arab Emirates that Hamas was preparing a large‑scale attack on Israel in the weeks leading up to the October 7, 2023 assault. According to the allegations, diplomatic contacts between Israeli and Emirati officials in late September included explicit intelligence about an imminent Hamas operation, which Netanyahu’s office allegedly failed to act upon.

The accusations have intensified scrutiny of Netanyahu’s security judgment and have become a focal point of the election discourse, with critics arguing that the missed warning contributed to the deadly assault that sparked the Gaza war. Netanyahu’s office has denied any negligence, stating that the information received was not specific enough to trigger a pre‑emptive response. As the campaign progresses, the issue is expected to shape voter sentiment and influence coalition dynamics ahead of the upcoming vote.