Egyptian intelligence chief warned Netanyahu of imminent Hamas assault
Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel placed a direct telephone call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in early October 2023 to warn of an imminent Hamas assault from Gaza, following two earlier disregarded warnings from Cairo. The disclosure, reported by the Wall Street Journal and detailed in Israeli media, highlights a succession of missed intelligence signals preceding the October 7 offensive.
Early Warnings and Regional Concerns in 2023
Cairo’s diplomatic and intelligence apparatus attempted to engage Israeli leadership months before the large-scale invasion. According to reports published in the Times of Israel, Egyptian officials urged the Israeli government as early as June 2023 to evaluate the escalating crisis in the Gaza Strip and restart negotiations with Palestinian factions regarding a prisoner exchange agreement.
The diplomatic pressure intensified ahead of the outbreak of hostilities. In September 2023, Abbas Kamel traveled to Israel and delivered a direct assessment, warning that conditions inside the Gaza Strip had reached a critical threshold and risked a violent explosion affecting all parties, as cited by anonymous officials from an unspecified Arab government.
The October Phone Call and Dismissed Signals
Israeli counterparts minimized the September warnings, assuring the Egyptian delegation that the regional situation remained under control. That dismissal prompted Kamel to initiate direct contact with Benjamin Netanyahu’s office at the beginning of October, continuing to transmit warnings up to approximately 48 hours before the offensive began. The warnings did not contain specific details regarding the exact timing or the full scope of the planned assault, mirroring patterns identified in post-invasion evaluations.
Prime Minister Netanyahu had previously denied ever speaking with Kamel in the months leading up to the attack. Alongside the Egyptian communications, reports indicate that United Arab Emirates leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also contacted Netanyahu in September 2023 to pass along intelligence indicators pointing toward an impending Hamas operation.
Systemic Failures and Geopolitical Fallout
The revelation regarding the unheeded Egyptian warnings adds to a growing body of domestic and international reporting examining how high-level political and security leadership missed or discounted vital pre-invasion indicators.
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Accountability and the Road Ahead
The full extent of the intelligence failures leading up to October 7 continues to be scrutinized through various official reports and journalistic investigations. As public demand for accountability persists, the reliance on transparent inquiries and professional investigative review remains crucial for understanding how repeated warnings from international partners were ultimately set aside.