Benjamin Netanyahu announced he will sue for defamation the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, after an investigation by the publication alleged that the Prime Minister of Israel received, before the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, a direct warning from the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed, about the preparation of an offensive.
The Haaretz newspaper revealed that Mohamed bin Zayed allegedly warned Netanyahu directly about Hamas's plans, suggesting that Israel could have taken preventive measures had it acted upon this information. The journalistic investigation indicates that the warning was either ignored or not given due follow-up by the Israeli authorities.
Netanyahu categorically denied having received any warning from the President of the United Arab Emirates before the attack. The Israeli Prime Minister considered the Haaretz allegations to be false and decided to proceed with a legal lawsuit for defamation against the newspaper.
The October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the death of approximately 1,200 people in Israel and the taking of hostages, with Israel responding with a vast military operation in the Gaza Strip. The controversy arises at a particularly sensitive moment, with Netanyahu facing criticism about how the Israeli authorities managed the intelligence before the attack.
