Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a covert visit to the United Arab Emirates over the weekend to meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the country’s president. The meeting, which took place on Sunday, was confirmed by two sources familiar with the Israeli leader’s trip. According to these sources, Netanyahu sought the Emirati leader’s denial of reports suggesting that Sheikh Mohammed had warned Israel of an impending Hamas attack just before the militant group launched its October 7 assault in southern Israel.
The hour-long discussion reportedly centered on a report published earlier this month by the Israeli daily Haaretz, which claimed that Sheikh Mohammed had provided Netanyahu with intelligence about the planned Hamas offensive. Netanyahu’s office has previously denied these allegations. A regional official also familiar with the talks, speaking anonymously, said Netanyahu requested the UAE president publicly refute the report. The UAE Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the meeting but emphasized it maintains “open and direct lines of communication” with Israel and shares “all relevant intelligence.”
No immediate statement was issued by Netanyahu’s office regarding the meeting. Meanwhile, Israel’s internal security service, Shin Bet, filed a formal complaint with the country’s chief military censor over Channel 12’s coverage of Netanyahu’s flight, citing a serious breach of censorship that endangered operational security and personnel. Channel 12 had reported the trip while Netanyahu’s plane was still airborne outside Israel.
In separate developments, the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, announced the bloc is applying for observer status in a Saudi-led maritime defense coalition. The coalition aims to protect Saudi Arabia’s energy exports, operating alongside six EU vessels currently deployed in the Red Sea to safeguard shipping routes.
In Gaza City on Monday, Israeli airstrikes resulted in civilian casualties, officials said. A woman was killed and her husband wounded in one strike, with another individual sustaining critical injuries. Later in the day, a separate strike on a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp left one person critically injured, according to Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. The Israeli military stated it was investigating the incidents. Since the October ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported that more than 1,400 Palestinians have died, nearly half of whom were women and children. The ministry’s figures are widely regarded by international organizations as credible.
Meanwhile, tensions in the West Bank escalated amid increasing settler violence. Ramiz Alakbarov, the United Nations’ acting Middle East envoy, told the U.N. Security Council on Monday that settler attacks have reached “unprecedented levels,” often occurring in the presence of Israeli forces. He documented 630 attacks between mid-June and mid-September, resulting in injuries and property damage. Alakbarov also noted that three Palestinian communities were fully displaced during this period, bringing the total to 49 since January 2023. He criticized Israeli settlement expansion as a major obstacle to establishing a contiguous Palestinian state and achieving a two-state solution.
In response to these developments, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s Cabinet minister responsible for settlement construction, condemned a recent decision by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. The attorney general ordered a controversial housing project near Jerusalem to be frozen until after Israel’s October 27 elections to prevent its use for electoral propaganda.