Netanyahu's Office Denies Receiving Hamas Attack Warnings

The Prime Minister's Office in Israel has refuted claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warned by Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel about an impending Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. The denial comes in response to reports, notably from The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic, suggesting that Kamel had conveyed warnings to Netanyahu prior to the attack.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Kamel allegedly called Netanyahu days before the attack, with sources claiming that two previous warnings from Egypt had been ignored by Jerusalem. The first, described as "vague," was reportedly received in June, four months before the assault, and urged Israel to resume indirect negotiations with Hamas due to the volatile situation in Gaza. A separate report cited by The Wall Street Journal indicated that the President of the United Arab Emirates informed Netanyahu in September 2023 about the potential scale of an attack, but the Israeli prime minister deemed it "unconvincing."

The Prime Minister's Office stated that these allegations were "refuted at the time" and are now being repeated to mislead the public. They emphasized that Egypt officially denied warning Israel about the attack on October 11, 2023. The office further asserted that Netanyahu did not meet or speak with Abbas Kamel in the months preceding the attack, nor did any Israeli intelligence official relay such a warning to the prime minister.

The Atlantic reported that Kamel made a secret visit to Israel on September 26, 2023, just 11 days before the October 7 massacre, carrying a warning about Hamas's preparations for a major assault. The report, based on interviews with numerous international sources, detailed a 67-minute visit by Kamel on a private jet to Ben Gurion Airport. While the specific individual Kamel met with remains unconfirmed, sources indicated the visit's purpose was to deliver an urgent warning about Gaza, with Kamel reportedly stating, "Gaza will explode in your face" and recommending economic concessions to Hamas to prevent conflict.

However, The Atlantic also noted that the Egyptian intelligence chief did not specify the attack date, target, or method, and the warning did not describe the large-scale invasion that ultimately occurred on October 7. The Egyptian and UAE foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment from The Wall Street Journal.