Egyptian Intelligence Chief Warned Israel of Gaza Attack Before Oct. 7

Egyptian General Intelligence Director Abbas Kamel made a secret visit to Israel less than two weeks before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, warning Israeli officials that "Gaza will explode in your face" if they did not change course, according to a report by The Atlantic, citing officials from seven countries. Kamel's plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport on September 26, 2023, for a brief 67-minute stay, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. While he did not provide a specific date for the impending attack, he urged immediate economic relief for Gaza to avert disaster, stating the window for prevention was closing.

This dramatic warning was part of a series of urgent alerts conveyed to Jerusalem in the weeks leading up to the massacre. These included a personal call from UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning of an imminent attack based on intelligence from Egyptian and Palestinian sources. UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland also issued a public warning from Gaza in late September about the dire situation and the potential for severe consequences from further conflict.

Despite these warnings, Israeli officials reportedly harbored a deep arrogance, believing Hamas was deterred and that security priorities lay elsewhere. Hamas, meanwhile, exploited mediation talks regarding work permits and Qatari fuel supplies to finalize its assault plans. A document found in Gaza, handwritten by Yahya Sinwar in August 2022, detailed the operational plan that was already formulated.

Further warnings were received in the days preceding the attack, including internal CIA reports on September 28 and October 5 based on foreign intelligence, which alerted to escalation and rocket fire. Egypt issued another warning to Israel on October 5 about a volatile situation. Nevertheless, intelligence officials in Israel and the US assessed that Hamas was not interested in a military confrontation, leading to a lack of preparedness, with reserve forces not activated and civilian communities relying on local security teams for hours after the attack began until IDF reinforcements arrived.