Netanyahu Confirms Egyptian Spy Chief's Visit Before Oct. 7, Denies Meeting

By חדשות כיפה

Translated & summarized from Kipa by baba

Religious-rightNeutral tone

Hebrew · 12 newsrooms covering

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Egypt's intelligence chief visited Israel shortly before the October 7th attack but denied meeting him. Netanyahu stated he was attending a memorial ceremony on the day of the visit and suggested blame was being unfairly placed on him. This contradicts past meetings Netanyahu had with Egyptian intelligence chiefs, including Abbas Kamel in 2021. An investigation reported Kamel visited Israel on September 26, 2023, warning of an imminent Hamas attack.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the Egyptian intelligence chief visited Israel before October 7th.
Netanyahu denied meeting the Egyptian official, citing attendance at a memorial ceremony.
Netanyahu suggested blame was being unfairly placed on him for the visit.
He previously met with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel in May 2021.
An investigation reported Kamel warned of an imminent Hamas attack during a secret visit.

Netanyahu Confirms Egyptian Spy Chief's Visit Before Oct. 7, Denies Meeting — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Tuesday that the head of Egyptian intelligence visited Israel just days before the October 7th Hamas attack. Speaking on Channel 14's "HaPatriotim" program, Netanyahu stated he did not know who the Egyptian official met with, suggesting an attempt to shift blame onto him. "I want to know who he met with, because someone wants to pin this on me," Netanyahu said, adding, "It never happened to me once."

Netanyahu asserted that he himself did not meet with the Egyptian dignitary, as he was attending a memorial ceremony for fallen IDF soldiers on the day of the visit. He questioned the protocol of a head of intelligence meeting a head of state, stating, "When does a head of intelligence talk to a head of state? There is no such thing. It never happened to me once."

However, Netanyahu's claim raises questions, as he has previously met with foreign intelligence chiefs, including Abbas Kamel himself, when Kamel served as Egypt's intelligence head. The Prime Minister's Office released an official statement in May 2021 detailing a meeting between Netanyahu and Kamel at the Prime Minister's residence.

This comes after an Atlantic magazine investigation two and a half weeks prior reported that Kamel made a secret visit to Israel on September 26, 2023, 11 days before the Hamas attack. According to the report, Kamel warned that Hamas was preparing a significant offensive and that time was running out to prevent escalation. The investigation did not confirm a meeting between Kamel and Netanyahu, stating it was unclear who the Egyptian official met with. On that same day, Netanyahu participated in a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War.