President Donald Trump said he does not believe Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu received advance warnings from Egypt or the United Arab Emirates about the October 7 Hamas massacre, weighing in on reports that have become an issue in Israel ahead of the country’s elections.

In an extensive interview with TIME conducted at the White House on Sept. 28 and published Thursday, Trump was asked about reports alleging that Arab leaders had warned Netanyahu about a possible Hamas attack before October 7, 2023.

“I heard that today for the first time,” Trump said when asked about the claims.

The reports have received renewed attention following allegations that senior Egyptian and Emirati officials conveyed concerns to Netanyahu or other Israeli officials in the months and days preceding the massacre.

When the interviewer specifically told Trump that Egypt and the UAE had reportedly warned Netanyahu, the president rejected the idea that Netanyahu knew an attack was coming and failed to act.

“I don’t think so. I think, you know, I think if he would have known, he would have done something about it. Certainly, he would have had people at least alert. You know, he’s not going to forget about it. That was a terrible day. Oh, you have people on the radical left that denied it ever happened, which is pretty bad.”

Trump’s comments come amid a continuing controversy in Israel over what Netanyahu and senior security officials knew before the Hamas invasion, which left approximately 1,200 people dead and saw roughly 250 people abducted into Gaza.

Recent reports have alleged that then-Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel issued several warnings about deteriorating conditions in Gaza before the attack. One report said Kamel personally traveled to Israel in late September 2023, less than two weeks before the massacre, to communicate Egyptian concerns.

Another report alleged that Kamel telephoned Netanyahu just days before October 7 after earlier Egyptian warnings had failed to prompt a significant Israeli response.

Those reports have generally characterized the alleged Egyptian warnings as concerns that Hamas or Gaza was moving toward a major escalation, rather than intelligence specifying the date, precise scope or operational details of the October 7 assault.

Separate reports have alleged that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan contacted Netanyahu in September 2023 and warned that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation.

Netanyahu has forcefully denied receiving such an advance warning from the UAE, with his office declaring, “No warning was given to the Prime Minister from the United Arab Emirates before October 7.”

Netanyahu has also threatened legal action over the allegations and has accused those promoting the claims of attempting to influence Israel’s election.

The issue has taken on particular significance because of longstanding questions surrounding the catastrophic intelligence and security failures that allowed thousands of Hamas-led terrorists to breach Israel’s border on October 7 and overrun communities and military positions across southern Israel.

While multiple Israeli military and intelligence investigations have documented serious failures before the attack, the specific claims that Netanyahu personally received warnings from Egypt and the UAE remain disputed.

Trump was also questioned extensively by TIME about Netanyahu’s political future as Israelis prepare to vote.

Asked whether he believes Israelis should give Netanyahu another term as prime minister, Trump declined to directly endorse him.

“Well, I can only say that I’m not involved in politics anymore,” Trump responded.

Trump then turned to his own record on Israel, discussing the support his administrations have provided to the Jewish state and his popularity among Israelis.

When the interviewer again pressed him on whether Netanyahu should receive another term, Trump again avoided directly answering the electoral question and instead emphasized his commitment to protecting Israel and preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“No, my primary thing-I do want to help them defend Israel. My thing that I mention all the time is Iran cannot have a nuclear power because they are crazy and you can’t let crazy people have nuclear weapons,” he said.

The interview took place amid continuing regional tensions involving Iran, which Trump has repeatedly identified as one of the most serious threats facing Israel and the broader Middle East.

Trump was also asked about Gadi Eisenkot, the former IDF chief of staff and current chairman of the Yashar party, who is challenging Netanyahu in Israel’s election.

The interviewer asked whether the United States might be able to work more effectively with Eisenkot if he were to defeat Netanyahu.

“Well, I don’t know. I don’t hear bad things about him,” Trump replied.

After the interviewer characterized Eisenkot as the leading opposition candidate, Trump pointed to Netanyahu’s history of surviving political challenges.

“Well, people have written off Bibi many, many times, just like they’ve written off me many, many times. I wouldn’t underestimate Bibi.”

Trump’s remarks stopped short of an endorsement of either candidate. While expressing confidence that Netanyahu would have acted had he possessed advance knowledge of the October 7 attack, Trump repeatedly declined to say whether Israelis should return Netanyahu to office for another term.

The controversy over the alleged pre-October 7 warnings has become an increasingly prominent issue in the Israeli election campaign. Netanyahu’s opponents have cited the reports while renewing demands for an independent state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the massacre, while Netanyahu and his allies have challenged the allegations and accused political opponents of attempting to assign responsibility to the prime minister.

Netanyahu has maintained that he was not given actionable intelligence indicating that Hamas was preparing the massive invasion that unfolded on October 7.

Trump, for his part, said he does not believe Netanyahu knowingly disregarded an advance warning of the impending massacre.

On Netanyahu’s political future, Trump declined to tell Israelis how they should vote, while observing that Netanyahu has survived repeated political challenges in the past.