Egypt Warned Israel of Gaza Escalation Before Oct. 7 Attack

Egypt's intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, made a secret, brief visit to Israel approximately 11 days before the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, to warn of a severe escalation in Gaza. The visit, lasting just 67 minutes, reportedly involved a Cessna aircraft landing in a secure area of Ben Gurion Airport on September 26, 2023. Egyptian officials indicated that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi considered the information critical. Kamel cautioned that the situation in Gaza was nearing a breaking point and that Israel could face significant challenges, though the warning did not include specific details about the timing, scale, or nature of a potential attack. He also urged Israel to make economic concessions to Gaza.

Despite the high-level visit, the intelligence received did not alter Israel's threat assessment. Reports suggest that further signals from Egypt continued until October 5, but they did not lead Israeli intelligence to anticipate a large-scale assault. However, both Tzachi Hanegbi, who headed Israel's National Security Council in 2023, and the Prime Minister's Office have denied Kamel's visit and the receipt of any such warning. Following the October 7 attacks, an Egyptian intelligence representative told the Associated Press that Cairo had repeatedly warned Israel about "something massive" being prepared in Gaza, claims that were also rejected by the Prime Minister's Office. Previously, it was reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu had ignored warnings from several countries regarding Hamas's plans.