File photo: Memorial dedicated to the victims of the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas from Gaza
Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel travelled to Israel days before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and warned Israeli officials that Gaza was heading towards a dangerous escalation, according to a report by The Atlantic. Kamel arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on September 26, 2023, in a chartered plane linked to Egypt’s intelligence service, according to the report. Egyptian, Arab, US and European officials who were briefed on the visit after October 7, Kamel told Israeli officials that Hamas appeared to be preparing for a major attack, according to Israeli. The Egyptian plane remained at Ben Gurion Airport for about 67 minutes before returning to Cairo, according to an Israeli airport-authority flight log. Netanyahu’s office, however, denied after the October 7 attack that the prime minister had received warnings from Egypt. The September 2023 visit was not the only warning Israel received. Egypt continued raising concerns about Hamas in the days before October 7, while the UAE’s president Mohamed bin Zayed also warned Netanyahu about the possibility of a major attack after receiving intelligence from Egyptian and Palestinian sources, according to The Atlantic . The report also said Egypt continued to raise alarms up to two days before October 7.
The report said officials from seven countries believed the visit should have raised alarms within Israel’s senior leadership. But, according to negotiators cited by The Atlantic, Hamas was using the talks to buy time while continuing preparations for its attack. His visit came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders were marking the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, the surprise attack by Egypt and Syria that Israel has long treated as a lesson in intelligence failures. He urged Israel to make economic concessions to Hamas to prevent the situation from spiralling. Those efforts temporarily eased tensions. Hamas agreed to pull people back from the border fence, while Israel agreed to reopen the Erez crossing and restore a medical-supply line into Gaza. Most of the warnings did not contain a date, target or method of attack, but US, Israeli and Egyptian officials described them as frequent and persistent.