The latest

Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel personally warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly before Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault, after earlier Egyptian messages failed to prompt a sufficiently strong response, officials said. Cairo raised concerns at least three times from June until roughly 48 hours before the attack, although the reported warnings pointed to a major escalation rather than identifying the date, targets or operational scale of the cross-border invasion.

Details

• Early outreach: In June 2023, Egyptian officials warned Israel about growing instability in Gaza and encouraged renewed negotiations over a possible hostage-prisoner arrangement. Cairo continued communicating its concerns during subsequent months, drawing on its longstanding intermediary role between Israel and Hamas on ceasefires, exchanges and humanitarian conditions.
• September meeting: Kamel reportedly flew secretly to Israel on September 26, with his aircraft remaining at Ben Gurion Airport for just over an hour. Officials briefed on the meeting said he warned that Hamas appeared to be preparing a major escalation and that Gaza could “blow up” unless Israel changed course. He also advocated economic measures to reduce tensions.
• Disputed contact: Former Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi denied that the September meeting occurred. Netanyahu’s office also denied that Kamel personally warned the prime minister, including an October 2023 allegation that he had cautioned Netanyahu about an imminent “terrible operation.” Egypt previously denied issuing Israel a specific warning.
• Final days: Officials said Kamel delivered another warning directly to Netanyahu in the days before October 7, while Egyptian concerns continued to be raised until about 48 hours before the assault. Netanyahu has denied personally receiving such warnings and argued that Israel’s security establishment failed to alert him adequately.
• Warning scope: The reported messages indicated that a significant escalation or major Hamas operation was approaching, without describing the coordinated attack eventually carried out. That assault involved thousands of fighters, breaches of the Gaza border fence, attacks on communities and military positions, and the mass abduction of civilians and soldiers.
• Emirati warning: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also reportedly warned Netanyahu during a September 2023 phone call that there were indications Hamas was preparing an attack. The warning did not specify its timing or scale. Netanyahu’s office has disputed claims that he personally received advance intelligence about the assault.
• Political stakes: The accounts sharpen questions over whether warnings reached relevant intelligence agencies, were passed to political leaders, influenced assessments or triggered changes in Israel’s military posture. The controversy comes as Israel approaches its first national elections since October 7, with responsibility for the security failure still deeply contested.

What’s next

Israel’s first national election since the attack will put the competing accounts before voters, while intelligence records, meeting minutes and official testimony remain central to determining how the warnings were handled.