Netanyahu made a secret visit to the UAE amid revelations about warnings received before 7 October

Bucharest, September 29, 2026. What the Romanian press retains from Benyamin Netanyahu's secret visit to the United Arab Emirates is not so much the diplomacy as the implicit admission of a failure of the Israeli intelligence before October 7, 2023. Digi24 confirms that the Prime Minister traveled to Abu Dhabi on Sunday and spoke for about an hour with President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Netanyahu's office indicated that the meeting "focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and regional challenges". An initial dispatch, citing Channel 12 and Reuters, had mentioned a trip on Monday, before the official version, confirmed by the Emirates on Monday evening, set the meeting on Sunday. Netanyahu's office also filed a complaint against Channel 12 for revealing the trip.

The visit comes after revelations from the Israeli daily Haaretz, according to which the Emirati leader would have warned Netanyahu, ten days before the Hamas attack, that a large-scale operation was being prepared - a warning that the Prime Minister allegedly did not transmit to his security services. Mediafax cites an Associated Press source stating that Netanyahu asked Mohammed bin Zayed to publicly deny having issued this warning. Netanyahu denies having made this request and has threatened Haaretz with lawsuits. The Emirates, for their part, simply say they do not comment on "press information or speculation about conversations between leaders", while ensuring they maintain with Israel "open and direct lines of communication" and share "all relevant information".

For the Romanian press, the stakes go beyond the diplomatic rift: Mediafax emphasizes that the affair relaunches the question of what the Israeli authorities knew about Hamas' intentions, and whether the signals received before October 7 - approximately 1,200 deaths, 250 hostages - were correctly assessed. The issue resurfaces a month before the legislative elections of October 27, where the opposition already accuses Netanyahu of having failed to prevent the attack and draw consequences from it.

Helsinki, September 29, 2026. The secret visit of Benyamin Netanyahu to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, September 27, is occupying the Finnish press from the angle of the missed intelligence before October 7, 2023. According to sources cited by the AP agency and reported by YLE Uutiset, the Israeli Prime Minister made an exceptional trip to Abu Dhabi to ask the Emirati president to publicly deny the information that he had warned him in advance of the Hamas attack. The Israeli channel Channel 12, also cited, reports that Netanyahu's office had repeatedly requested a meeting with President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyane to obtain this denial. According to Channel 12, Abu Dhabi considered the matter to be part of Israel's internal politics and did not want to get involved, especially before the elections scheduled for October 27.

The daily Haaretz had revealed at the beginning of September that the Emirati president had warned Netanyahu, ten and a half days before the October 2023 massacre, that Hamas was preparing a large-scale operation. According to Haaretz, this warning was not transmitted to the intelligence services or the Israeli army. MTV Uutiset adds that Netanyahu had reacted "fairly calmly" to the Emirati president's warning about Yahya Sinwar's preparations. The former head of Egyptian intelligence had also warned Netanyahu, just a few days before the attack; according to the Wall Street Journal, cited by MTV, it was the third Egyptian warning of this type.

Netanyahu's office denies having been warned of the attack and confirmed the visit on Monday, citing discussions on bilateral relations and regional issues. The Emirates had already confirmed the meeting. Ten days after this warning, Hamas attacked, killing around 1,200 Israelis, including more than 800 civilians, and taking 251 hostages, YLE recalls.

For the Finnish press, the accumulation of these distinct warnings, Emirati and Egyptian, raises more questions about the Israeli intelligence command chain before the attack than about regional diplomacy. The coincidence with the electoral calendar of October 27, noted by Channel 12, adds an internal dimension to a file presented here primarily as a security failure.

Paris, September 29, 2026. Confirmed on Monday, September 28, by Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi, the meeting between Mohammed Ben Zayed and Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, September 27, is significant: it comes amid controversy over what the Emirates knew before October 7, 2023. According to revelations published in early September, Abu Dhabi allegedly warned the Israeli prime minister of a possible Hamas operation shortly before the attacks, a warning that Netanyahu allegedly did not pass on to his security services. The Israeli prime minister denies "the existence of such a warning." The Emirates, for their part, have limited themselves to stating that they "do not comment on information published in the press or speculation about conversations between leaders."

According to several Israeli media outlets, Netanyahu allegedly traveled to Abu Dhabi to ask Mohammed Ben Zayed to publicly deny having issued this warning in 2023 — a request that neither Jerusalem nor Abu Dhabi has confirmed. Their statements, on the contrary, remain cautiously diplomatic: the WAM agency reports that "the two parties discussed bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, as well as ways to strengthen and develop them," while the Israeli prime minister's office assures that "the visit focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and regional challenges."

Another sign of tension was revealed on the same day: even before the official confirmation of the trip, the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, filed a complaint against a television channel that revealed this unannounced visit. The fact that a diplomatic trip of this nature required such a high level of discretion, before being confirmed in a low-key manner by the two capitals, highlights the fragility of the moment in the Israeli-Emirati relationship, forged under the Abraham Accords.

This climate is set against a tight electoral calendar: a poll cited by France 24 places the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party neck and neck with Netanyahu's coalition, one month before the October 27 election, with the four main opposition parties having committed to uniting their forces.

Jakarta, September 29, 2026. Indonesian media are giving extensive coverage to the secret visit made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, September 27, where he met with President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. The two governments only confirmed the trip on Monday, September 28. According to the official Emirati agency WAM, cited by Al Jazeera, the two parties "discussed bilateral relations between the Emirates and Israel and ways to strengthen them." Netanyahu's office, for its part, mentions a discussion focused on "strengthening relations between the two countries and regional challenges."

CNN Indonesia and Tempo are mainly linking this trip to a previous revelation by Haaretz and the New York Times: Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan allegedly warned Netanyahu by phone, ten days before the October 7, 2023, attack, that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a large-scale operation. According to Channel 12, the real purpose of the trip was to ask Mohammed bin Zayed to deny this call - a request that the prime minister's office denies, just as it had denied the initial report. The Shin Bet internal security service even filed a complaint against Channel 12 for violating military censorship before the official confirmation of the trip.

The Indonesian press is emphasizing the anger that has resulted in Israel: according to CNN Indonesia, protesters gathered on Sunday in Habima Square in Tel Aviv to denounce Netanyahu's supposed inaction. Einav Zangauker, the mother of a former hostage, is quoted: "warning after warning was given, but we always got the same response: I didn't know." Five former high-ranking Israeli officials claim to the New York Times that the Emirati alert never reached the Shin Bet; The Atlantic also mentions Egyptian warnings that were left unheeded.

For Jakarta's media, this case is primarily weighing on the legislative campaign of October 27: Netanyahu, who is trailing in the polls behind former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, is trying to contain a scandal that revives the trauma of October 7. CNN Indonesia also recalls that the prime minister continues to oppose the creation of a parliamentary commission of inquiry into this security breach.

Jérusalem, September 29, 2026. Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's secret visit to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday has taken center stage in the Israeli election campaign, just a month before the October 27 vote. According to Channel 12, as reported by the AP and CNN, the Prime Minister met with President Mohammed bin Zayed for about an hour. The Jerusalem Post, on the other hand, mentions a six-hour presence on Emirati soil, with a discussion focused on Iran, according to three Israeli officials. The Prime Minister's office confirmed the trip on Monday, which was made "at the invitation" of the Emirati president, and was dedicated to "strengthening relations" and addressing "regional challenges". The official Emirati agency WAM, for its part, mentioned a discussion on "bilateral relations".

Haaretz claims that a source corroborated its investigation, which found that Netanyahu had asked bin Zayed to deny a phone call that took place ten days before October 7, 2023, during which the Emirati leader allegedly warned him that an operation by Yahya Sinwar was being prepared against Israel. The Prime Minister denied on Monday that he had made this request. The Jerusalem Post reports that a previous secret meeting had been canceled "just before takeoff", with the Emiratis claiming that bin Zayed "was not in the country" - a point that the newspaper says it has verified as inaccurate.

The Shin Bet has filed a complaint with the military censor against Channel 12's report on this trip, judging that it "put the lives of the Netanyahu couple in danger". Meanwhile, former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar announced his intention to sue the Prime Minister for defamation, demanding the publication of his schedule and documents related to the alerts received before the attack. The Wall Street Journal, cited by the Jerusalem Post, lists at least three separate Egyptian warnings, including a secret visit by intelligence chief Abbas Kamel eleven days before the attack.

A Kan poll published on Sunday puts Netanyahu's bloc and the "bloc of change" at a tie, with 52 seats each, and the Likud gaining one seat to 21. A Haaretz analysis sees this as a "last resort weapon" drawn in Abu Dhabi thirty days before the vote.

Rome, September 29, 2026. Analyzing the revelations that have been accumulating since Benyamin Netanyahu's secret trip to the United Arab Emirates, the Italian press first notes what Cairo knew before October 7, 2023. According to a Wall Street Journal article picked up by ANSA, Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel directly called Netanyahu's office in early October 2023 to convey a "further warning" of an imminent attack from Gaza, after two previous alerts had already been ignored. A source cites Egypt warning Israel "up to almost 48 hours before the attack". The Times of Israel, quoted by ANSA, adds that Cairo had already warned as early as June 2023, advising Israel to resume negotiations with Hamas on a prisoner exchange. Netanyahu had nonetheless denied ever speaking to Kamel in the months preceding the attack.

Adnkronos, citing the same Wall Street Journal article, places this third Egyptian warning in a broader series: during a September 2023 call with Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed, Netanyahu was also reportedly informed of possible Hamas attacks, without appearing convinced. The newspaper emphasizes that none of these signals specified the schedule or scope of the offensive. Adnkronos explicitly links these revelations to the campaign: they "put the spotlight back" on the Israeli leader's actions before the war, just a month before the legislative elections.

La Repubblica, for its part, details the political and judicial fallout from the Emirati trip itself: the Prime Minister's office has "repeatedly" denied receiving the alert, brandishing threats of prosecution, while the Shin Bet has filed a complaint against Channel 12 for the leak that revealed the trip. Libero Quotidiano reports in parallel the charge by the Icelandic Minister of Foreign Affairs at the UN, denouncing the "moral cowards" who violate international law — a separate thread, but published on the same day in the same Italian news flow about Netanyahu.

From these converging accounts, the Italian press draws the same conclusion: the chain of ignored alerts, Egyptian and now Emirati, raises more questions about the solidity of Israeli intelligence before October 7 than about the diplomacy of the trip.

Lisbon, September 29, 2026. The Portuguese press is revisiting the secret visit made by Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, September 27, 2026, to the United Arab Emirates, where he met with President Mohammed bin Zayed for about an hour, according to Channel 12 and sources cited by the AP and CNN. The trip, confirmed by the Israeli Prime Minister himself, comes as an investigation by the daily Haaretz, published on September 8, rekindles the debate over what Netanyahu knew before the October 7, 2023, attack.

According to Observador, a representative of the Emirati embassy in Israel allegedly handed Netanyahu a secure phone at the end of September 2023: on the other end of the line, Mohammed bin Zayed allegedly warned him of an imminent and large-scale Hamas attack. The Israeli leader allegedly reacted with "relative calm" and did not inform any military officials of this alert. Ten days later, Hamas attacked the Nova festival and several kibbutzim, killing 1,195 people and taking 251 hostage.

Netanyahu's office describes the Haaretz investigation as an "absolute lie". But two other revelations have been added: the Wall Street Journal reports that Abbas Kamel, the head of Egypt's secret services, transmitted a third warning in early October 2023, after two previous calls from Cairo that were already ignored. These alerts, according to sources cited by the American daily, did not specify the exact date or scope of the planned attack. The Prime Minister's office had previously denied any contact between Netanyahu and Kamel.

For the Portuguese media, this accumulation of ignored warnings - from the Emirates and then from Egypt, on three occasions - weighs on the legislative campaign of October 27, where Netanyahu is running for an unprecedented seventh term against Gadi Eisenkot, a former general who lost his son in the Gaza offensive. The polls describe a tight race. Observador notes that these revelations, arriving in this political context, transform the issue of missed intelligence into a central electoral issue, three years after the deadliest attack ever suffered on Israeli soil.

Moscow, September 29, 2026. The Russian press is treating Benjamin Netanyahu's secret visit to the United Arab Emirates as the latest episode in a judicial offensive by the Israeli Prime Minister to stifle revelations about the warnings received before the October 7, 2023 attack. According to RT, citing the AP agency, Netanyahu secretly flew to Abu Dhabi on Sunday, September 27, and met with President Mohammed bin Zayed for about an hour, with the stated goal of asking him to deny having been warned, ten days before the attack, that Yahya Sinwar was preparing "a large-scale operation". This version, revealed by the daily Haaretz, earned the newspaper a defamation lawsuit ordered by Netanyahu, reports RT. The Prime Minister's office qualifies the accusation as "an absolute lie" and claims that a joint audit of phone records, conducted by the cabinet, the national security council, and the military secretariat, found no trace of such a call.

TASS expands on the picture: Netanyahu also instructed to pursue defamation lawsuits against the authors of a report, cited by the Wall Street Journal, according to which Egypt had transmitted at least three warnings before October 7, including one from former intelligence chief Abbas Kamel. The statement from the Prime Minister's office, reported by TASS, claims that Netanyahu "neither met nor spoke" with Kamel in the months preceding the attack. RIA Novosti, citing the Emirati agency WAM, reports the official version of the trip: a meeting dedicated to strengthening bilateral relations and addressing regional challenges, with the Prime Minister's office also qualifying the AP's articles as "fake news".

RT notes a similar approach elsewhere: Netanyahu is also preparing a case against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the International Criminal Court, whom he has qualified as "an anti-Semitic dictator", in a dispute where Ankara has requested a red notice from Interpol against him. For the Russian press, this double procedure - lawsuits against newspapers, a case against Erdogan - outlines the same strategy: responding to accusations of intelligence failures before October 7 through judicial means rather than a commission of inquiry, just a month before the October 27 legislative elections.

Stockholm, September 29, 2026. The Swedish press is reporting information from Israel: Benyamin Netanyahu allegedly failed to inform the country's security officials after a call from Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed, received on September 23, 2023, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz. Svenska Dagbladet and Aftonbladet, citing the AP agency and Channel 12 (Keshet 12), report that Netanyahu then secretly traveled to Abu Dhabi this Sunday, September 27, where he met with bin Zayed for about an hour.

According to a cited source, the conversation precisely concerned the publication by Haaretz: Netanyahu allegedly asked bin Zayed to deny the information about this warning, a request that his own office describes as an "absolute lie". In parallel, the Wall Street Journal reports that Egypt alerted Israel no less than three times in the fall of 2023 about an imminent attack from Gaza; during the last warning, Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel allegedly called Netanyahu personally.

For the Swedish press, these revelations come at the worst possible time for the prime minister. One month before a legislative election set for October 27 - the first since the Hamas attack and the subsequent wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and against Iran - they are deemed embarrassing for the Likud leader, already criticized for his handling of the war in Gaza. The cited polls describe an election that promises to be very close, with a right-wing government under pressure from the opposition.

The articles also recall a recurring criticism addressed to Netanyahu: that of having, according to his detractors, sought to escalate conflicts and polarize the debate to present himself as the defender of Israel. The reminder of the figures from October 7, 2023 - over 1,100 deaths in Israel, mostly unarmed civilians, and nearly 250 hostages, including children - anchors the political stakes in the memory of the attack itself.

Neither of the two Swedish articles mentions an official reaction from Abu Dhabi or a comment from the Swedish government on the matter; the coverage, identical in both titles, focuses on the Israeli electoral calendar rather than the Israeli-Emirati diplomatic relationship or the substance of the investigation into the intelligence failure.