Two warnings — and then another: The Wall Street Journal reported overnight Sunday into Monday that Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in early October 2023 to warn him of an impending attack from the Gaza Strip, after Israel failed to respond to two previous Egyptian warnings, according to Arab government officials who spoke to the newspaper. “Kamel was growing anxious,” the report said.
(Photo: Reuters)
Days later, Hamas launched its deadly attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were abducted to the Gaza Strip. Kamel’s call with Netanyahu, which had not previously been reported, was one of several early warnings received by Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials before the attack, according to the Arab officials and others familiar with the matter who spoke to the Journal.
They said Netanyahu was also briefed on indications of a possible Hamas attack during a September 2023 conversation with United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed, but appeared to have been “unconvinced.” The officials noted that the warnings did not include specific details about the timing or scale of the potential attack.
Netanyahu’s office did not respond to questions from The Wall Street Journal about Kamel’s call. The office has previously denied that any conversations took place between the Israeli leader and Kamel in the months leading up to Oct. 7. The Egyptian and Emirati foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment.
The Arab officials said the first warning Egyptian officials conveyed to Israel, in June 2023, was vague. They warned their Israeli counterparts that the situation in Gaza was “volatile” and urged Israel to return to the negotiating table with Hamas.
In September, Kamel flew to Israel to deliver a more serious warning, they added. Kamel told Israeli officials that the situation in Gaza was dire and “could blow up in everyone’s faces.” Israeli officials, however, told Kamel that they had the situation under control. Arab government officials stressed that Kamel’s call with Netanyahu’s office took place just days before the massacre.
One of the officials said the Egyptians continued warning Israel until 48 hours before the attack. The report said that alongside Cairo, Emirati officials were also becoming increasingly concerned about Hamas. Egyptian and Emirati officials discussed their intelligence assessments with one another and shared them with the United States. According to the Arab officials, the tone of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and the nature of his threats had changed, while Arab intelligence services detected frequent meetings between Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip.
Over the weekend, two major U.S. news outlets published new details about warnings issued before the Oct. 7 massacre. The New York Times reported on a conversation between UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Bin Zayed later mentioned the conversation to the CIA director, although Netanyahu denied it took place. According to the report, bin Zayed said Hamas was planning a major attack, but Netanyahu made no mention of the warning at an Oct. 1 security meeting, where he opposed a proposal to strike senior Hamas officials.
In addition, according to an extensive investigation by The Atlantic, Kamel secretly landed at Ben Gurion Airport 11 days before the massacre and remained in Israel for just 67 minutes. “He warned that Hamas was preparing for a major attack and urged Israel to introduce economic measures to prevent an escalation.” According to the report, Egypt continued issuing warnings until two days before the massacre.
Amid the controversy sparked by the warning from bin Zayed, Netanyahu met Sunday in Abu Dhabi with the Emirati leader who reportedly warned him at the time of an “earthquake” being planned by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Netanyahu departed Sunday morning for the secret visit and has since returned to Israel.