(CNN) - The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on a press report stating that the former head of the Egyptian Intelligence Service, Major General Abbas Kamel, warned Israel of the possibility of Hamas preparing to launch attacks against it, days before they occurred on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli denial came in response to a report by the American magazine The Atlantic, where the magazine claimed that Abbas Kamel had visited Israel 11 days before the attack, and that he was carrying a warning that the Hamas movement was preparing for a major escalation in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on his official account on the “X” platform, formerly Twitter, on Saturday: “In response to the lies contained in The Atlantic magazine, the Prime Minister’s Office announced the following”:
The statement added, "This allegation is baseless. It was previously denied at the time, and is being circulated again now with the aim of manipulating Israeli public opinion," he said.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said: “On October 11, 2023, Egypt officially denied that it had warned Israel about the October 7 attack.”
He went on to say: "In the months preceding that date, Prime Minister Netanyahu did not meet or speak to Abbas Kamel - who was then head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service - and no Israeli intelligence official conveyed such a warning to the Prime Minister."
Netanyahu's office concluded: "Lies that are repeated will not become truth, no matter how often they are repeated."
An Israeli official said in 2024 that the former head of Egyptian General Intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, would visit Israel, when he was in office, to hold security talks and advance negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The official told CNN that Major General Abbas Kamel is scheduled to continue discussions with Israeli officials on security coordination regarding a possible Israeli operation in Rafah as well as negotiations regarding the hostages.
In 2024, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi issued a decision appointing Major General Abbas Kamel as Advisor to the President of the Republic, General Coordinator of the Security Services, and Special Envoy of the President of the Republic, according to what was reported by the official Egyptian media.
Meanwhile, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad was sworn in as head of General Intelligence.
Abbas Kamel had accompanied Sisi during his work in Military Intelligence, where he held the position of director of his office after being promoted to many positions, until Sisi assumed the position of the Ministry of Defense and then the Presidency of the Republic. Kamel was nicknamed “the keeper of the president’s secrets,” “the president’s shadow,” and “the presidential fox” due to his close proximity to Sisi.
Abbas Kamel also accompanied President Sisi on many external and internal visits and conferences, by virtue of his work and because of his strong intelligence experience and vision in many of the files assigned to him.
