Egypt Warned Israel of Hamas Attack, Pushed for Gaza Aid Before Oct. 7

A report by The Atlantic claims that the head of Egyptian intelligence secretly visited Israel 11 days before the October 7th Hamas attack, warning of a significant offensive. However, the warning reportedly lacked specific details like a date or concrete intelligence about the planned assault. Concurrently, the Egyptian official allegedly recommended that Israel provide economic concessions to Hamas to de-escalate tensions and prevent conflict.

According to the report, which cites Israeli, Egyptian, Arab, American, and European sources briefed after the attack, a chartered Cessna linked to Egyptian intelligence landed at Ben Gurion Airport on September 26, 2023. The aircraft, reportedly carrying then-Director of General Intelligence Abbas Kamel, stayed in Israel for only 67 minutes before returning to Cairo. Flight tracking services corroborated the flight path, the magazine stated.

During the alleged visit, Kamel reportedly conveyed that Hamas appeared to be preparing for a major attack and that the window to avert disaster was closing. He did not provide specific information on the nature or timing of the assault. The identities of the Israeli officials he purportedly met with remain unknown.

A significant aspect of the alleged meeting was Kamel's proposed solution: economic relief for Hamas. The Egyptian intelligence chief recommended that Israel grant Hamas financial concessions to avoid a confrontation. A former Israeli official, briefed on the visit, described the essence of the Egyptian message as a warning that Gaza could "explode in your face" if Israel did not change course.

At the time, tensions were escalating along the Gaza border. Hamas had called for protests, leading Israel to close the Erez crossing in mid-September. Approximately 18,000 Gazans held work permits in Israel. In negotiations for de-escalation, Hamas demanded additional work permits and the renewal of Qatari fuel arrangements, while Israel reopened the Erez crossing and considered increasing work permits.

Sources told The Atlantic that Hamas appeared to use these negotiations to buy time while finalizing its attack plans, which documents found after the massacre indicated had been in development since the 2021 conflict. Despite continued Egyptian warnings up to two days before the attack, it remains unclear if Kamel's message could have signaled the unprecedented assault that followed. However, Tzachi Hanegbi, who was National Security Advisor at the time, denied to The Atlantic that Kamel visited Israel on September 26th or that any Egyptian warning was delivered. The Prime Minister's office also denied receiving any direct or indirect warning from Egypt.