Egyptian Intelligence Chief Warned Israel of Attack 11 Days Before Oct. 7

A report by The Atlantic revealed that on September 26, 2023, eleven days prior to the Hamas attack on October 7, former Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel visited Israel. During his visit, he delivered a warning about a large-scale offensive planned by Hamas. According to a former Israeli official briefed on the visit, Kamel stated, "If you don't change direction, Gaza is about to blow up in your face." However, Kamel did not provide specific details regarding the date or nature of the attack, and it remains unclear whom he met with during his brief stay. The Egyptian aircraft reportedly remained on the ground in Israel for only 67 minutes before returning to Cairo.

Kamel's visit occurred just two hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at an event in Jerusalem commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, where he stated, "We do not underestimate any threat." This revelation follows previous reports, including one from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, alleging that Netanyahu was warned by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed about a Hamas attack on October 7. A subsequent New York Times report suggested Netanyahu received this warning but did not disclose it during a security assessment meeting with defense officials on October 1, 2023.

Furthermore, an Egyptian intelligence source told the Associated Press on October 9, 2023, two days after the attack, that Egypt had warned Israel about "something big" expected to happen about ten days before the Hamas surprise attack. This source claimed Israel, however, chose to focus on the West Bank and underestimated the threat from Gaza. The Prime Minister's Office has denied these claims.