Evidence

Multiple outlets (Israel Hayom, Israel National News/Arutz Sheva, GV Wire, Haaretz, Ynetnews) report on a New York Times investigation published in late September 2026 stating that UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed personally warned Netanyahu in a September 2023 phone call that Hamas was preparing a major attack. The same NYT report, citing minutes of an October 1, 2023 security briefing, says Netanyahu did not mention this warning to his security chiefs, instead telling them to prioritize calm in Gaza, and that he pushed back when officials (including then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar) proposed strikes on senior Hamas figures, citing concern that escalation could jeopardize prospective Saudi-Israel normalization. This corroborates and expands on an earlier Haaretz exposé making similar claims. However, Netanyahu's office has repeatedly and explicitly denied that any such call or warning occurred, calling the Haaretz report 'a total lie' and saying no relevant phone call took place, while stating any intelligence would have come through official channels. The UAE Foreign Ministry has not confirmed or denied specifics, saying only that intelligence is shared 'when necessary' through normal channels. All NYT sources were anonymous (two people said to have spoken with or been briefed on the bin Zayed-Netanyahu conversation, plus review of meeting minutes). I found no independent fact-check verdict from Reuters Fact Check, AFP Fact Check, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo specifically adjudicating this claim.