Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tuesday that Hamas could attempt an attack before Israel's Oct. 27 election, saying the military is prepared to prevent such an assault and respond with significant force if one occurs.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Hamas could seek to influence the election because the terrorist organization has been weakened by the ongoing conflict. He said Israel's security forces were prepared to thwart any attack and respond forcefully if Hamas attempted to act.

The warning came as Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the Israel Defense Forces to increase readiness in Gaza ahead of the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel. Katz cited intelligence indicating that Hamas was considering attacks against Israeli troops in Gaza around the anniversary.

Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, head of the IDF Southern Command, also warned Hamas against targeting Israeli civilians or soldiers during a ceremony marking three years since the attack. Asor acknowledged what he described as the military's failure to protect Israel during the initial assault while praising residents of communities near Gaza for defending their homes and families.

Asor said the military's work in the region was not finished and warned that attacks against Israeli troops or residents of the Negev would trigger a forceful response.

Katz separately warned that Hamas and the broader population of Gaza could face severe consequences if Israeli troops were harmed. He directed Israeli forces to act on intelligence indicating potential threats.

Netanyahu also used the Cabinet meeting to argue that Israel's position has changed significantly since the Oct. 7 attack, saying Israel had "turned the tables" on its enemies and describing the country as the strongest power in the Middle East.

The security warnings come as Netanyahu faces a closely contested political environment ahead of the election. A recent Times of Israel poll projected the pro-Netanyahu and anti-Netanyahu blocs each winning 53 seats, with two Arab parties potentially holding the balance of power.

Netanyahu's political opponents have accused him of using security warnings to heighten public concern ahead of the election. Opposition Leader Yair Lapid made a similar criticism after Netanyahu issued a warning last week, saying there was no need to alarm the public.

Katz also told Cabinet ministers Tuesday that the IDF was preparing for the possibility of a broader confrontation with the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. He said Israeli forces were considering scenarios involving attacks by Palestinian security personnel or members of the affiliated Tanzim movement against Israeli civilians or soldiers.

Katz said that if such a scenario occurred, Israel would consider it an act of war against the Palestinian Authority and launch a broad military operation. He described preparations involving ground and air forces, weapons seizures, the targeting of senior officials and potential large-scale evacuations.

Israeli security officials have historically credited coordination between Israeli forces and Palestinian Authority security services with helping maintain stability in parts of the West Bank. Katz's warning represents a potential escalation in tensions between Netanyahu's government and the Palestinian Authority, which has faced financial pressure from Israel in recent years.

The statements come three years after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, which killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in the abduction of hundreds of hostages, according to Israeli authorities. The attack triggered the ongoing war in Gaza and fundamentally reshaped Israel's security and political landscape.