Egypt warned Israel of a possible Hamas attack before October 7

A report published by the American magazine "The Atlantic" stated that Egypt warned Israel shortly before the attack on October 7, 2023, that Hamas appeared to be preparing to launch a major attack. The magazine reported, citing government officials in Israel, Egypt and other Arab countries, as well as officials in the United States and Europe, that the head of Egyptian intelligence at the time, Abbas Kamel, traveled to Israel less than two weeks before the attack and warned that Hamas appeared to be “gathering for a major attack.”

It was reported that Kamel warned that the time limit available to avoid the catastrophe was about to run out, and recommended that Israel provide economic concessions to Hamas to prevent escalation. Kamel played a major role in Egyptian and Qatari mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas during the Gaza War, and he also visited Israel several times in recent years.

The report did not mention who Kamel met with during his visit, which lasted approximately an hour, while the magazine quoted a former Israeli government official as saying that it was unreasonable that Netanyahu was not aware of the visit or the meetings that were held with Israeli intelligence officials.

The report published by The Atlantic newspaper was prepared by prominent American journalist Vivian Salama, who previously worked for the Wall Street Journal and the American news agency Associated Press (AP). During her career, she covered a number of international files, including affairs related to the White House in Washington, in addition to events and developments in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and more than 80 other countries around the world.

Netanyahu denies the veracity of the report

In its comment on the report, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied the report, describing the allegation as false, and confirmed that it was denied at the time and is now being “recycled to manipulate Israeli public opinion.” Two days after the October 7 attack, Netanyahu's office denied that Egypt had issued such a warning, and said that no direct or indirect meeting had taken place between Netanyahu and Kamel. This report comes in the wake of an article recently published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz stating that the United Arab Emirates also warned Netanyahu of a possible attack by Hamas.

It is noteworthy that Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist armed group, is classified by Germany, the European Union, the United States and other countries as a terrorist organization.

According to the newspaper "Haaretz", the President of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed, informed Netanyahu that the head of the Hamas movement at the time, Yahya Sinwar, was planning a large-scale attack, which Netanyahu's office also denied, announcing plans to sue the newspaper for defamation.

These reports gain special importance and great sensitivity in light of the upcoming Israeli parliamentary elections. Critics accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of not taking personal responsibility for the terrorist attack that occurred nearly three years ago and resulted in large numbers of casualties.