Netanyahu Makes Secret Abu Dhabi Trip, Meets UAE President Amid October 7 Warning Controversy

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret day trip to Abu Dhabi on Sunday, September 27, 2026, where he met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to Israeli media reports and a senior Israeli official cited by Reuters.

Netanyahu reportedly flew privately from Ben-Gurion Airport around midday and landed in Abu Dhabi in the early afternoon. He spent several hours in the UAE capital before returning to Israel the same evening. Israeli reports said the visit lasted roughly four hours, with much of the time spent in a one-on-one meeting with MBZ.

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Neither Netanyahu's office nor the UAE Foreign Ministry immediately issued a public statement about the visit or its agenda.

Secret Meeting Comes Amid October 7 Warning Row

The discreet meeting comes as Netanyahu faces renewed political and media scrutiny over allegations that MBZ warned him about a possible Hamas attack around 10 days before the October 7, 2023, massacre.

A Haaretz investigation, based partly on a book by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval, reported that MBZ allegedly spoke to Netanyahu by phone in late September 2023 in a conversation lasting around 45 minutes.

According to the report, the call followed Emirati intelligence and a message attributed to then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, conveyed through a mediator, warning of an impending “earthquake” or major operation against Israel.

The report claimed Netanyahu responded calmly and suggested that any possible Hamas action was more likely to take place in the West Bank. It further alleged that the information was not passed on to senior Israeli security officials, including the Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet, Mossad or the then-defence minister.

Netanyahu Denies Warning Was Ever Given

Netanyahu's office has strongly rejected the allegations, saying checks of call logs and official records found no evidence of such a conversation between Netanyahu and MBZ during the period in question.

The Israeli prime minister has described the claims as a “malicious fabrication” and has threatened legal action against Haaretz and the journalists involved.

A UAE official source, speaking to the state-owned The National, also rejected the suggestion that MBZ personally delivered a warning to Netanyahu. The source said security matters are handled through professional and relevant institutions rather than directly between national leaders.

The UAE has previously acknowledged maintaining intelligence-sharing channels with Israel following the Abraham Accords, but has not publicly confirmed the specific alleged Netanyahu-MBZ conversation.

Reports Raise Questions Over October 7 Intelligence Failures

Other reports, including those cited by The New York Times and Israel's Channel 12, have also examined whether information about a potential Hamas operation reached Israel's senior security leadership before the October 7 attack.

Israeli media reports have further alleged that during a Gaza security meeting on October 1, 2023, Netanyahu emphasised the importance of maintaining calm, partly because of concerns that escalation could affect possible normalisation talks with Saudi Arabia.

These claims remain disputed and have become part of the wider political debate over the intelligence and leadership failures preceding the October 7 attacks.

The controversy has also intensified criticism of Netanyahu from political opponents, who have questioned whether warnings were adequately assessed and communicated before Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on southern Israel.

Israel-UAE Ties Remain Strategically Important

The Abu Dhabi meeting also comes against the backdrop of continued strategic ties between Israel and the UAE under the Abraham Accords.

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Relations between the two countries have remained significant despite wider regional tensions, including the Israel-Iran conflict earlier in 2026, referred to in Israeli reporting as Operation Roaring Lion. During that conflict, Israel temporarily deployed an Iron Dome air-defence system and operators to the UAE.

Netanyahu had also previously claimed that he held a secret meeting with MBZ in Al Ain in March 2026 during the conflict. The UAE publicly denied that meeting at the time.

No official details have emerged about what Netanyahu and MBZ discussed during Sunday's meeting. However, Israeli reporting has portrayed the encounter as a sign that strategic communication between the two countries continues amid heightened regional tensions.

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