Mossad official disputes 3 October 7 warning claims: UAE pharmacy operators should check continuity plans

Eyal Tsir Cohen, a former head of international diplomacy at the Mossad, told Army Radio on 28 September 2026 that he did not know of warnings from the United Arab Emirates or Egypt before the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, according to The Jerusalem Post.

For UAE healthcare operators, the immediate issue is not Israeli intelligence procedure. It is how quickly clinics, insurers and pharmacies detect geopolitical risk that could affect patients, medicine supply, elective travel and prior authorisation. In Dubai, that starts with providers licensed by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). In Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, the relevant regulator is the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH). In the northern emirates, operators deal with the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) and the federal drug framework now administered through the Emirates Drug Establishment.

What the report says

The Jerusalem Post reported that Cohen rejected knowledge of three warning channels discussed in Israeli media: a reported message from UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a reported warning involving former Fatah official Sufian Abu Zaida, and an alleged visit by Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel. The report cited Cohen as saying he did not recall those reports or the visit.

"I do not recall any reports regarding a warning from MBZ and Sufian Abu Zaida." — Eyal Tsir Cohen, former head of international diplomacy at the Mossad

The same report said former Mossad chief Danny Yatom told Army Radio that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had likely discussed the reported warnings during a recent UAE visit. The competing accounts matter because the UAE has had formal diplomatic relations with Israel since 2020, and healthcare businesses in Dubai have built medical tourism, insurance and supply relationships in a region where sudden travel or security shifts can change patient flows within days.

Why Dubai clinics and pharmacies should care

Dubai providers should treat this as a reminder to test alert escalation, not as a clinical warning. A pharmacy group, day surgery centre or specialty clinic does not need an intelligence desk. It does need a named owner for regional disruption signals, a medicine continuity log, and a patient communication template that can be approved within 24 hours when travel, border or supply conditions change.

The practical pharmacy exposure is predictable. Patients travelling through Dubai may arrive with chronic medicines, controlled medicines, or incomplete documentation. The federal personal import service states that travellers may carry medicines with a prescription or medical report where the quantity does not exceed a three-month supply; controlled narcotic and psychotropic medicines require closer checks through the Emirates Drug Establishment personal medicine permit service. The older MOHAP traveller guidance also refers to a 30-day treatment limit for some narcotic medicines, so pharmacies should check the specific medicine schedule before advising patients.

• COOs should confirm who monitors DHA, DOH and MOHAP circulars during regional incidents.
• CFOs should ask whether emergency substitution, courier delivery and cancelled medical travel claims are reimbursable under Daman, Thiqa or Sukoon policies where those payers apply.
• CMOs should prepare patient-facing guidance for prescription refills, controlled medicines and travel disruption.
• Medical directors should review protocols for missed doses in anticoagulation, insulin, epilepsy and psychiatric medicines.

What operators should do now

Dubai clinics can start with a 30-day audit of high-risk medicines prescribed to travelling patients, especially drugs where missed doses can lead to emergency admission. Abu Dhabi providers should cross-check their pharmacy governance against DOH standards, which require pharmacies in healthcare facilities to maintain operational policies covering scope, governance, staffing, operating hours and reporting responsibilities. Northern emirates providers should keep MOHAP licensing and Emirates Drug Establishment medicine import guidance in the same incident file used by call-centre and front-office staff.

Insurers have a narrower but material task. Daman, Thiqa and Sukoon policy teams should decide in advance how they will handle medication replacement, early refills and overseas treatment interruptions during regional disruption. The actionable number is the member’s benefit limit and refill interval, not a generic market estimate. Providers should verify those figures through payer portals or written pre-authorisation before dispensing outside the usual cycle.

The next risk signal is less likely to be a single government statement than a cluster of flight changes, border delays, prescription queries and insurer call volumes. UAE operators should make those signals visible on one daily dashboard during regional incidents. Patients who need licensed pharmacy support can search the UAE Open Healthcare Directory for licensed pharmacy providers across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern emirates.