Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is denying claims that he was warned by neighboring world leaders about the Oct. 7 massacre days before the attack occurred, as blame for the tragedy becomes a hot potato ahead of next month’s elections.

A report published by Haaretz — citing the newly released book “Kidnapped: 843 Days of Abandonment” by Israeli journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval — claims that then-leader of Hamas Yahya Sinwar instructed Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to warn Netanyahu of an impending attack. Bin Zayed allegedly passed this message to the Israeli premier in late September 2023, reportedly conveying a sense of seriousness about the threat.