Israel Denies Meeting Egyptian Spy Chief Before Oct. 7

By איתמר אייכנר

Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba

CenterCharged tone

Hebrew · 13 newsrooms covering

Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have denied meeting with Egypt's former intelligence chief Abbas Kamel during his reported visit to Israel on September 26, 2023. Kamel allegedly warned of a major Hamas attack shortly before the October 7th massacre. While Netanyahu confirmed Kamel's arrival, he stated he was at a memorial ceremony and did not meet him. Other top security officials also denied any meeting, though reports suggest Kamel's visit was significant and should have involved high-level engagement. The timing of the alleged meeting and Netanyahu's attendance at a separate ceremony has become a point of contention.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

Israeli officials deny meeting Egyptian spy chief Abbas Kamel before the Oct. 7 attack.
Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed Kamel's arrival but denied a personal meeting.
Kamel reportedly warned of a major Hamas attack during his September 26, 2023 visit.
Netanyahu claims he was at a memorial ceremony when Kamel's plane landed.
Former Mossad and Shin Bet chiefs dismissed reports of Kamel's visit as fake news.
Kamel's son defended his father, accusing media of propaganda and demanding transparency.

Israel Denies Meeting Egyptian Spy Chief Before Oct. 7 — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Reports suggest Kamel warned his interlocutor of a "major Hamas attack" during this visit. Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed Kamel's arrival in Israel in a recent interview but stated he did not meet him because he was attending a memorial ceremony. Similarly, former Mossad chief Dedi Barnea and former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar denied meeting Kamel, dismissing the reports as "fake news" given protocol usually dictates such a high-level visit would include meetings with them. The Mossad stated no representative met Kamel, and former Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Ghassan Alian also denied a meeting. Former National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi also denied meeting the Egyptian official.

Further complicating the narrative, The Atlantic reported that the memorial ceremony Netanyahu attended, marking 50 years since the Yom Kippur War, occurred about two hours after Kamel's plane landed. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana speculated that a senior Israeli security official, not the Prime Minister, might have met Kamel, but noted that the Chief of Staff, Mossad chief, Shin Bet chief, and Police Commissioner were all present with Netanyahu and President Herzog at the ceremony. An unnamed former senior Israeli official criticized the denials, stating it's unlikely Kamel would visit Israel without meeting the Prime Minister, especially given Netanyahu's previous meetings with him and his successor. This official suggested that airport surveillance and digital tracking could verify the visit and any subsequent meetings, implying a potential cover-up or "deep state" narrative manipulation by Netanyahu.

Prime Minister Netanyahu's son, Yair Netanyahu, defended his father on social media, accusing "left-wing journalists" of propaganda and clarifying that his father's statement about not meeting Kamel "alone" referred to meetings without Israeli counterparts.

This situation follows previous reports, including one by Smadar Peri in Ynet and an AP report, detailing that Kamel had contacted the Prime Minister's office with a warning about an "unusual, formidable operation" from Gaza, which the Prime Minister's office had initially denied. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Kamel called Netanyahu in early October 2023 to warn of an impending attack from Gaza, after previous Egyptian warnings went unheeded. Netanyahu denies speaking with Kamel during that time.