Netanyahu Denies Egyptian Warning, Blames Ex-Shin Bet Chief

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied reports that the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel, warned him of an impending attack from Gaza prior to the October 7th Hamas massacre. Netanyahu announced his intention to file a defamation lawsuit over the matter.

The reports, citing sources in Arab governments and others familiar with the situation, originated from "The Wall Street Journal" and "The Atlantic." These publications suggested that Kamel had contacted Netanyahu in early October 2023, and separately visited Israel on September 26, 2023, to convey warnings about a potential large-scale Hamas assault. The warnings reportedly lacked specific timing or details about the attack's scope.

Netanyahu's office stated that the Prime Minister did not meet or speak with Abbas Kamel in the months leading up to October 7th, and that no Israeli intelligence official conveyed such a warning to him. Netanyahu asserted that he does not meet or speak with foreign intelligence chiefs without the presence of their Israeli counterparts.

Shifting blame, Netanyahu directed criticism towards former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. He accused the "left-wing media" of a "despicable and false campaign" to attribute Bar's alleged failures on October 7th to Netanyahu. Netanyahu claimed that Bar, despite discussing intelligence indicators with the then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and head of Military Intelligence Aharon Haliva the night before the attack, chose not to update the Prime Minister or alert emergency response teams and IDF forces in the field.

Netanyahu further alleged that foreign entities and Arab states are involved in a campaign to undermine his right-wing government, aiming to replace it with a left-wing government that would withdraw from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank, and establish a Palestinian state. He concluded with a political message, stating, "It's either right-wing, or Palestine."