Overview
- New reporting by The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic says Abbas Kamel, head of Egypt’s General Intelligence, placed multiple warnings to Israel including a phone call days before the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
- The Atlantic reported that a private Egyptian intelligence plane landed at Ben Gurion airport on Sept. 26, 2023 and that Kamel made a short in-person briefing for Israeli security officials during the stop.
- Sources cited by Haaretz and other outlets say the UAE’s president also warned Netanyahu in September 2023 and Jordanian intelligence passed similar concerns to Israeli counterparts.
- The published warnings did not give a date or firm operational details and U.S. reports show the CIA had flagged possible rocket launches on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, 2023 but did not predict the coordinated ground incursion.
- Israel has publicly denied private meetings or direct warnings to the prime minister and the disclosures have renewed calls for official explanations, potential legal challenges, and fresh scrutiny of how Israeli security agencies evaluated pre-attack intelligence.