Abu Dhabi / Jerusalem — September 27, 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an unannounced trip to Abu Dhabi on Sunday to meet UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, known as MBZ, as controversy grows over a report that the Emirati leader warned him of a Hamas attack shortly before October 7, 2023.
The Secret Trip
A senior Israeli official confirmed the visit to Reuters. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu left Ben Gurion Airport shortly after noon on a private jet, landed in Abu Dhabi around 3:10 p.m. local time, and flew home around 7:10 p.m. Channel 12 reported that much of the meeting was one-on-one and that the discussion focused on the Iranian threat. The Prime Minister's Office declined to give details, and neither it nor the UAE Foreign Ministry had commented at the time of writing.
The Report Behind the Storm
This month, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that MBZ warned Netanyahu about a week and a half before October 7, 2023, that then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major operation. Israeli media describe the warning as an "earthquake" in the making. Haaretz said the warning was not passed on to Israel's intelligence agencies or military.
Netanyahu has denied receiving any such warning. The UAE has not confirmed the report, and the claim has not been independently verified. Critics in Israel have long demanded a full inquiry into the failures that preceded the attack, which is why any suggestion of an advance warning is politically explosive.
Why the Timing Matters
The visit came roughly a month before Israel's election and two days after Netanyahu returned from the UN General Assembly. It also highlights how much Israel-UAE ties have warmed since the war with Iran. The UAE and Bahrain were the only two Arab countries whose representatives stayed in the hall during Netanyahu's UN speech, while dozens of other delegates walked out.
It was not his first secret trip. Israeli media report he also visited the UAE during the Iran war, and his office later disclosed that trip, saying it led to a "historic breakthrough" in relations. Channel 12 reported that Abu Dhabi was unhappy about that disclosure, and the UAE has publicly denied at least one earlier meeting reported by his office.
The Bottom Line
The meeting itself is confirmed. What was actually said in it, and whether MBZ really warned Netanyahu before October 7, is not. With an election weeks away and both governments staying quiet, expect more leaks, denials and questions.
This is a developing and politically sensitive story. The pre-October 7 warning is a claim reported by Haaretz that Netanyahu denies and the UAE has not confirmed. Details of Sunday's meeting come from Israeli media and an Israeli official.