Israel is marking three years since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks with a fresh fight over whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warned in advance. Multiple reports say he was.

Haaretz reported that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed called Netanyahu about ten days before the attack and warned that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major operation. The Atlantic separately reported that Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel flew to Israel on Sept. 26, 2023, to warn that Gaza would “blow up.” The Wall Street Journal said there were at least three Egyptian warnings, the last a phone call to Netanyahu days before the attack.

Netanyahu has denied the reports. He called them “absolute lies” and “false blood libels” spread by political rivals before elections. He has ordered lawyers to sue Haaretz. Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar has threatened a defamation suit in return.

Rivals have made the warnings a campaign issue. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett said the reports are true and called the failure “criminal negligence.” An Oct. 27 election is approaching.

The debate keeps the focus on accountability for an intelligence failure that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.