UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reportedly alerted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about an impending Hamas plot to attack on October 7, 2023, a claim detailed in the book 'Kidnapped: 843 Days of Abandonment.' According to the report, MBZ conveyed concerns from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar about a major offensive that could impact the Abraham Accords. Despite this direct warning, which was also shared with the CIA, Netanyahu allegedly dismissed the threat, believing Gaza was under Israeli control and that any Hamas activity would be limited to the West Bank. Intermediaries relayed Sinwar's messages of significant preparation, including terms like 'zilzal' (earthquake) and 'mother of all surprises,' but these were reportedly not interpreted by Israeli intelligence as an imminent threat from Gaza, contributing to a perceived intelligence failure.

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reportedly alerted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about an impending Hamas plot to attack on October 7, 2023, a claim detailed in the book 'Kidnapped: 843 Days of Abandonment.' According to the report, MBZ conveyed concerns from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar about a major offensive that could impact the Abraham Accords. Despite this direct warning, which was also shared with the CIA, Netanyahu allegedly dismissed the threat, believing Gaza was under Israeli control and that any Hamas activity would be limited to the West Bank. Intermediaries relayed Sinwar's messages of significant preparation, including terms like 'zilzal' (earthquake) and 'mother of all surprises,' but these were reportedly not interpreted by Israeli intelligence as an imminent threat from Gaza, contributing to a perceived intelligence failure.

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reportedly alerted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about an impending Hamas plot to attack on October 7, 2023, a claim detailed in the book 'Kidnapped: 843 Days of Abandonment.' According to the report, MBZ conveyed concerns from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar about a major offensive that could impact the Abraham Accords. Despite this direct warning, which was also shared with the CIA, Netanyahu allegedly dismissed the threat, believing Gaza was under Israeli control and that any Hamas activity would be limited to the West Bank. Intermediaries relayed Sinwar's messages of significant preparation, including terms like 'zilzal' (earthquake) and 'mother of all surprises,' but these were reportedly not interpreted by Israeli intelligence as an imminent threat from Gaza, contributing to a perceived intelligence failure.

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, popularly known as MBZ, reportedly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the Hamas plot to attack on October 7, 2023. However, a Haaretz report claimed that Netanyahu did not take any action or inform Israeli military leaders about the plot.

The shocking revelation was published in a book, titled Kidnapped: 843 Days of Abandonment, by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval. They cited interviews with senior officials in Israel and other countries to substantiate their claims.

During the 45-minute phone call which happened at the end of September, MBZ informed Netanyahu that Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar was plotting a major offensive against Israel that could potentially affect the Abraham Accords.

However, Netanyahu allegedly downplayed the warning from MBZ, saying that Gaza was under Israeli control and any action from Hamas was likely to come in the West Bank.

According to Haaretz, MBZ received information from Sinwar himself. Sinwar while in conversation with a senior Fatah interlocutor, known as Coal Eyes, said, "Tell the Israelis if they don’t advance, I’m preparing a huge surprise for them. Tell them to expect a zilzal, an earthquake."

However, Coal Eyes was afraid to pass on the information directly to Israeli agency Shin Bet, but he also did not reportedly want Israel to think he was collaborating with Sinwar. Fearing for his life, Coal Eyes then conveyed the message to MBZ via a Palestinian adviser to the sheikh.

While the term "zilzal" (earthquake) was vague, Coal Eyes interpreted it as "war". However, MBZ cautioned against jumping to conclusions, saying, "If we are not sure, we will not convey any warning to the Israelis for now. We will investigate the matter thoroughly until we are certain."

However, during a second meeting in mid-September, Sinwar told Coal Eyes that Hamas was gearing up for a "formidable operation." When Coal Eyes informed Sinwar that he did not update the Israelis about his previous 'zilzal' warning, the Hamas chief asked the interlocutor to convey to Shin Beth that the militant group is readying "the mother of all surprises. A terrifying operation. Something extraordinary."

This time, around mid-September, Coal Eyes informed not just MBZ's adviser, but also the Shin Bet. However, Israeli officials did not see it as a threat from Gaza. Wondering why Sinwar gave them a warning, a senior intelligence official was quoted as saying, "Either it was because he grew tired of Israel’s foot-dragging, wanting to pressure us into an arrangement and not so eager to start a war. Or, as we prefer to think, it was part of his ‘Great Deception’ plan, and he wanted to test the IDF’s readiness."

Concerned by the lack of seriousness from the Israeli side, MBZ decided to directly call Netanyahu. "He told Netanyahu that Israel should be ready. Concurrently, he recommended trying to find an economic solution for the Strip and calming the West Bank to prevent escalation," Haaretz quoted the emir's adviser as saying.

MBZ had also alerted then CIA Director William J. Burns about the development.

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