By Pesach Benson • September 9, 2026
Jerusalem, 9 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that he would sue the Haaretz daily over a report alleging that United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed warned him of a planned Hamas attack before Oct. 7, 2023.
Netanyahu wrote on X that his lawyers had sent the newspaper and journalists Shlomi Eldar, Ruth Yuval and Uri Misgav a letter demanding NIS 2.5 million ($830,000) in damages.
Haaretz said it “stands behind the publication.”
The report, published Tuesday, said bin Zayed had warned Netanyahu days before the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel of a “major move” planned by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The report alleged that Netanyahu did not relay the warning to Israel’s security chiefs.
Netanyahu denied speaking with bin Zayed between the beginning of September 2023 and Oct. 7. “No conversation took place between the Prime Minister and the President of the United Arab Emirates,” he wrote on X, saying officials had reviewed his call records and found “no trace of it.”
Netanyahu called the report “a sinister libel with clear political timing” and accused the political left of using it as part of an election campaign.
The Prime Minister’s Office previously said that any relevant information from the UAE would have been transmitted through intelligence channels. The UAE has not explicitly confirmed the reported warning.
At least 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on communities in southern Israel.
