Israeli newspapers have repeatedly reported a similar account claiming that Hamas warned Israel it would carry out another attack on the scale of October 7, 2023, and that the warning was conveyed through UN Middle East envoy Ramiz Alakbarov during his visit to the Gaza Strip last week, when he allegedly met senior Hamas leaders.
The Israeli newspapers, particularly Yedioth Ahronoth, based their reports on information circulated by Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which reportedly sent an urgent warning to the country's political and military leadership.
The alleged threat was linked to Israeli military operations in Gaza, where the army continues to occupy more than half the territory a year after the ceasefire was announced.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem denied in a brief statement distributed to journalists in Gaza that the movement had threatened to carry out another attack similar to October 7.
He reaffirmed Hamas's commitment to the ceasefire agreement and called on mediators to intervene to stop Israeli violations against Palestinians and ensure the agreement's implementation.
Qassem also warned against accepting Israeli allegations and exploiting them for electoral purposes.
He did not address reports that the UN official had met Hamas leaders.
Asharq Al-Awsat sought further comment from the Hamas spokesperson, but he did not respond to the correspondent's questions.
Late Thursday evening, Hamas issued an official statement denying that it had threatened any attacks, without confirming or denying whether a meeting with the UN official had taken place.
The published itinerary for Alakbarov's two-day visit to the Gaza Strip on October 11 and 12 made no reference to meetings with Hamas officials.
According to the schedule posted on the United Nations website, his visit focused on assessing humanitarian conditions at several locations, including displacement centers, affected families, winter preparedness efforts and female-headed households.
The itinerary also listed a meeting with humanitarian partners at a UNRWA facility in Gaza City to discuss humanitarian responses and gaps in assistance.
An official from Alakbarov's office told Asharq Al-Awsat that the UN envoy had not met any Hamas officials during his latest visit.
However, Asharq Al-Awsat learned from a local UN employee that Alakbarov visited Al-Shifa Medical Complex on Sunday, October 11, and met hospital and health officials to assess conditions at medical facilities.
That visit was not mentioned in the published itinerary, and Alakbarov's office neither confirmed nor denied it.
The local official also said the UN delegation came under Israeli shellfire while visiting the Zarqa area northeast of Gaza City, near the Yellow Line.
No injuries were reported, and the delegation quickly left the area.
Asharq Al-Awsat attempted to contact Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, but he did not answer the calls. Officials from Gaza's Government Media Office were also unreachable.
UN officials routinely visit hospitals, displacement centers and other facilities to assess humanitarian conditions. Many have made such visits without meeting Hamas officials, particularly amid the precarious security situation and continuing pursuit and assassination of Hamas members in Gaza.
Observers believe the Israeli account is primarily motivated by electoral considerations, particularly amid repeated statements by Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, about alleged Hamas plans to carry out attacks similar to October 7.
Both officials have emphasized that Israel would respond forcefully to any such attack, in statements seen as attempts to influence the elections. Similar warnings have also been made concerning Iran and Hezbollah.
However, Israeli security sources told Haaretz that, contrary to claims made by Netanyahu and Katz in recent days, security agencies had not detected intensive efforts by any party to launch attacks against Israel with the aim of influencing the elections.
Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, meanwhile, limited his remarks to affirming that the armed forces were prepared to deal with any attempts at external interference in the elections.
He said the military would undertake defensive and offensive operations should any such scenario materialize.
