Three years after Hamas-led militants killed 1,205 people and took 251 hostage in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking another term in the October 27 election while denying reports that the UAE and Egypt warned him of an imminent attack. He has deflected blame onto security chiefs and a so-called "deep state", sued Haaretz (an Israeli newspaper) over its report, and refused calls for a state inquiry until the war ends, even as former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, his main challenger, vows to set one up. The issue matters because Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says at least 74,347 people have died in Israel's response, and the vote will test whether accountability for the failure shapes Israeli politics.