A report published by The Atlantic reveals that Israel received repeated warnings about escalating Hamas activity in the weeks before the October 7, 2023 attack, including a highly unusual visit to Israel by Egypt’s intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel.
According to the report, Kamel arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on September 26, 2023, aboard a Cessna chartered by Egypt’s intelligence service. His visit coincided with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War—a conflict Netanyahu had described that day as a lesson in the dangers of missed intelligence warnings and self-delusion.
The Atlantic reports that Kamel warned Israeli officials that Hamas appeared to be preparing for a major attack and urged Israel to make economic concessions to Gaza to prevent escalation. One former Israeli official briefed on the visit told the magazine that Kamel’s message was essentially that Gaza would “blow up” if Israel did not change course.
The report notes that Kamel did not provide a specific date or operational details regarding the attack Hamas ultimately carried out on October 7. It also remains unclear exactly which Israeli officials met with him. His aircraft remained at the airport for 67 minutes before returning to Cairo. However, officials from seven countries who spoke to The Atlantic said the mere presence of Egypt’s intelligence chief in Israel should have signaled the gravity of the warning.
One former Israeli official emphasized that the significance lay in the messenger himself, arguing that senior Israeli officials meeting with Kamel should have indicated the issue had reached the highest levels of government.
In the aftermath of October 7, Netanyahu’s office denied that the prime minister had received warnings from Egypt, either directly or indirectly. Tzachi Hanegbi, then head of Netanyahu’s national-security council, also denied that Kamel had visited Israel or that Egypt had issued any warning.
The report describes Kamel’s visit as part of a broader pattern documented by dozens of sources indicating that Israel had been repeatedly warned about threatening Hamas activity before the attack.
Among those warnings, according to the report, was a call from UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed to Netanyahu. After receiving intelligence from Egyptian and Palestinian sources, bin Zayed reportedly warned Netanyahu about the possibility of an imminent attack and, like Kamel, urged economic concessions to Gaza. Multiple officials confirmed the call took place, although Netanyahu denied an earlier report about it and threatened to sue Haaretz, which had reported on the conversation.
Current and former Israeli, Arab, and U.S. officials told The Atlantic they identified a common flaw in Israel’s approach at the time: a confidence that Hamas was under control. One former senior U.S. official involved in talks with Israel said Israeli officials appeared focused on the West Bank and were confident they had the Gaza situation contained.
The October 7 attack, launched 11 days after Kamel’s visit, killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and resulted in 251 hostages taken to Gaza during coordinated assaults on communities, military positions, and an outdoor music festival. Israel subsequently launched a military campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Hamas leaders and thousands of fighters have also been killed.
The failure to prepare for the October 7 attack has become a major issue in Israeli politics. Netanyahu has faced demands, including from former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, for an independent state investigation into the military and intelligence failures. Netanyahu has opposed establishing the type of independent inquiry used after previous security failures, including the Yom Kippur War, and instead sought to create a politically appointed commission that would include opposition representatives. Opposition leaders have resisted the proposal, arguing such an investigation could favor Netanyahu’s government.
Tensions in Gaza had already escalated significantly by the summer of 2023. Qatar had frozen fuel deliveries to Gaza, which Hamas resold to help finance salaries for public-sector workers. Hamas subsequently called for demonstrations at the Erez crossing over the delayed aid and other disputes, including the treatment of Palestinian prisoners. Israel closed the crossing in September after protests there prevented Gazan workers from entering Israel.
