Egypt Denies Warning Israel of Specific Hamas Attack Before Oct. 7

An Egyptian official familiar with the matter stated that Egypt did issue warnings to Israel prior to the October 7th Hamas attacks, but clarified that these warnings did not include specific details about the timing or nature of the planned military operation. This comes amid ongoing discussions and reports regarding intelligence shared before the massacre.

Recent reports indicated that the then-head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel, visited Israel 11 days before the attacks, and that he had warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly before October 7th. Additionally, there are claims that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu that Yahya Sinwar was preparing a "major earthquake."

The Egyptian source, speaking to the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, explained that Cairo's warnings stemmed from concerns over the deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation in Gaza and Israeli restrictions. Egypt feared that the ongoing conditions could lead to a "new security explosion," but did not have information on when or how such a conflict might occur.

"These warnings, according to what Cairo knew at the time, were not about setting a date for a military attack or the nature of the operation carried out on October 7th," the source emphasized. The warnings were described as a general concern about escalation in Gaza, not specific intelligence about Hamas's plan.

This distinction is significant given the ongoing debate in Israel about the extent of knowledge Arab nations possessed and shared with Israel before the attacks. The Egyptian official stressed that Cairo's warnings should not be interpreted as having full knowledge of Hamas's plan, but rather as an attempt to prevent escalation through measures like easing restrictions and allowing Palestinian workers back into Israel.