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Netanyahu Did Not Raise Reported UAE Warning at Oct. 1, 2023 Meeting, Minutes Show

Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, gray-haired in a dark suit and blue tie, seated at the center of a long white-clothed conference table between Israeli officials, with American and Israeli flags behind him, drawn from a January 2023 State Department photograph of a Jerusalem meeting with the U.S. secretary of state; an archival image for context, not a depiction of the October 1, 2023 security meeting.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not mention an alleged Emirati warning of a possible Hamas attack when he met security chiefs on October 1, 2023, six days before the October 7 massacre, according to meeting minutes reviewed by reporters. Two people familiar with the matter said UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan called Netanyahu in late September 2023; the vague warning did not specify a rocket attack or ground invasion. At the meeting, Netanyahu urged calm in Gaza and warned escalation could harm normalization efforts with Saudi Arabia. Five former senior officials said the warning never reached security chiefs. Netanyahu has repeatedly denied receiving any such warning.

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