Sep 08, 2026

Israel News Today: UAE Warned Netanyahu of Hamas Attack Before October 7 — Security Chiefs Were Not Told, Reports Say

A major investigative report published by Haaretz claims that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed personally warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a large-scale Hamas operation planned by Yahya Sinwar in the days before the October 7 massacre — and that Netanyahu did not act on the warning. According to multiple Israeli sources cited across several outlets, Israeli security chiefs were not informed, and the warning remained locked away rather than reaching those who could have acted on it.

The UAE Warning: What the Reports Say

The Jerusalem Post, citing the Haaretz investigation, reports that UAE President MBZ warned Netanyahu of a "major operation" planned by Sinwar approximately ten days before October 7, and that Netanyahu is said to have dismissed the warning and failed to alert Israeli security chiefs. Walla News similarly reports that MBZ telephoned Netanyahu days before the massacre, but that the prime minister chose to ignore the alert.

A Maariv breaking headline states bluntly: "Senior security officials did not know — the extraordinary warning about October 7 remained in the safe." A separate Maariv report describes a meeting between Netanyahu and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar just seven days before the attack, in which Bar reportedly placed on Netanyahu's table an unambiguous demand for a series of targeted killings of Hamas leadership, warning that Hamas was "preparing something extreme."

The political response was swift and fierce. Ynet reports that former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot stated: "Netanyahu received dozens of warnings — and ignored them." Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who Walla reports recently met with the UAE president, told 103FM: "The publication is true." Netanyahu's office, according to Walla, flatly denied that the prime minister had spoken with the UAE president at all, calling the report "a complete lie." The sources disagree on this point and the contradiction has not been resolved.

IDF Security Drill Excluded Police — A Lesson from October 7 Not Learned

In a separate but related accountability story, the Jerusalem Post reports that a senior police official has publicly criticised the IDF for conducting a surprise security drill this week without including the police. "The army is holding a surprise drill, it is a disgrace that the police were not included in the exercise. We learned nothing from October 7," the official said. Walla News similarly quotes the official warning: "If the police are not part of the security concept, the state will pay a heavy price."

Likud and Shas Finalise Election Slates with War Wounded

Israel's election campaign continues to take shape ahead of the deadline to submit party lists. The Jerusalem Post and Arutz Sheva both report that Netanyahu has selected Elisha Medan, an IDF reservist who lost both legs fighting in Gaza, for the number eleven slot on the Likud slate. Medan is described by Arutz Sheva as having later lit Israel's Torch of Healing and Rehabilitation. Ynet reports that Talik Gvili — the mother of a soldier killed and abducted on October 7 — has also joined the Likud list following sustained pressure. The Likud court was set to convene to determine whether the vote on Netanyahu's reserved slots would be held by secret or open ballot, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Shas, meanwhile, drew attention with its own list. Arutz Sheva reports that reservist Lieutenant Colonel Dror Amos has been placed sixth on the Shas Knesset slate — ahead of several sitting lawmakers — in what multiple outlets describe as a strategic move by party leader Aryeh Deri to broaden Shas's appeal among traditionally observant voters who also serve in the military and reserves.

Belgium Government Employee Was Hamas Terrorist, Israel Says

Maariv reports that the Israeli Embassy in Belgium is demanding a clear apology after it emerged that an aid worker employed by the Belgian government who was killed in Gaza had also been a member of Hamas. The Israeli embassy is seeking a formal response from Brussels.

Turkey Offers Lebanon Advanced Weapons, Seeks Role on Hezbollah

Maariv reports, citing the Lebanese outlet Al-Akhbar, that Turkey has on multiple occasions offered Lebanon advanced weaponry and proposed involvement in resolving the question of Hezbollah's arms. Ankara is simultaneously demanding a full Israeli withdrawal, attempting to mediate with Syria, and distancing itself from closer ties between Greece and Cyprus. The report adds a further dimension of Turkish strategic manoeuvring in a region where Israeli security interests remain directly engaged.

UK Sanctions on West Bank: Chief Rabbi Warns of "De Facto Boycott"

The UK's Chief Rabbi has warned that British government sanctions targeted at Israeli activity in Judea and Samaria risk expanding into what he described as a "de facto boycott of Israel as a whole," and could further inflame antisemitism in the United Kingdom, according to Maariv. The report notes that senior figures in the British Jewish community share this concern. Separately, Arutz Sheva reports that US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee accused the UK of discrimination against Israel and the Jewish people over the sanctions, warning that the policy could carry repercussions.

Criminal Complaint Filed Against Foreign Minister Saar in Slovenia

Walla News reports that the pro-Palestinian organisation Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a criminal complaint in Slovenia against Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, alleging "responsibility for war crimes, acts of genocide and torture during the war in Gaza." The complaint was timed to coincide with the opening of Israel's embassy in Ljubljana. Walla notes that the foundation regularly pursues Israelis abroad through legal mechanisms.

Secret Peres–Hussein Meeting Revealed After 33 Years

On a historical note, the Jerusalem Post and Arutz Sheva report that newly released documents from the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation have revealed the minutes of a secret meeting between Shimon Peres and King Hussein of Jordan in November 1993 — approximately a year before the formal peace treaty was signed. The Peres Center described the exchange as a kind of "testament for peace" by two leaders who sought to reshape the region. The disclosure comes on the tenth anniversary of Peres's death.

What This Means for Diaspora Communities

The UAE warning story will land hard in Jewish communities in the UK, the US and Germany. The core question — whether Israeli leadership had specific, actionable intelligence before October 7 and failed to act — goes to the heart of how diaspora Jews have understood and explained the massacre to themselves and to others. Whatever the final accounting, the political firestorm now unfolding in Israel will reverberate in communities still processing grief, displacement and loss.

The UK sanctions story is of immediate practical concern to British Jews. The Chief Rabbi's warning that measures targeting Israeli settlements could expand into a broader boycott — and intensify domestic antisemitism — reflects anxieties that British Jewish organisations have voiced for months. The added dimension of a US ambassador publicly accusing the UK government of discrimination against Jews raises the diplomatic temperature further.

The criminal complaint against Foreign Minister Saar in Slovenia is the latest reminder that pro-Palestinian legal campaigns targeting Israeli officials abroad are ongoing and expanding in scope, affecting how Israeli diplomats — and by extension, Israeli citizens and Jewish community leaders — can operate across European jurisdictions.