Netanyahu Confirms Egyptian Intelligence Chief Visited Israel 11 Days Before October 7 Attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Tuesday night that Abbas Kamel, then head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service, arrived in Israel shortly before the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

Speaking to Yinon Magal on Channel 14’s The Patriots, Netanyahu said he had not met Kamel during the visit, explaining that he was attending a memorial ceremony for fallen Israeli soldiers at the time.

Netanyahu also claimed he did not know which Israeli officials had met the Egyptian intelligence chief and called for the circumstances of the visit to be investigated.

“There are cameras, there is documentation. I want to know the truth,” Netanyahu said, insisting that he had not met Kamel.

Reports of an Egyptian Warning Before the Attack

The interview follows reports that Kamel traveled to Israel on September 26, 2023, just 11 days before the Hamas-led assault.

An investigation published by The Atlantic last month reported that Kamel warned Israeli officials that Hamas was preparing a major operation. According to the report, the Egyptian official urged Israel to change course to avert a confrontation.

The Wall Street Journal separately reported that Kamel contacted Netanyahu by telephone days before the attack, following earlier Egyptian warnings.

These reports have intensified scrutiny of what Israeli officials knew before October 7, what warnings were conveyed, and how the information was handled.

Previous Denials and Questions About the Visit

Netanyahu’s acknowledgment that Kamel visited Israel confirms a central element of the earlier reporting. However, the prime minister denied meeting the Egyptian official and disputed the suggestion that he personally received a warning during the visit.

The prime minister’s office had previously rejected reports concerning the Egyptian warning. The key unresolved questions include who met Kamel, what information he conveyed, and whether the warning reached Israel’s political and security leadership.

Netanyahu’s Previous Meeting With Kamel

Netanyahu’s statement that intelligence chiefs do not meet heads of state has drawn attention because he hosted Kamel at the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem in 2021, when Netanyahu was also prime minister.

That earlier meeting does not establish that the two met in September 2023. It does, however, provide relevant context for evaluating Netanyahu’s remarks.

Questions Remain Over What Israel Knew

The latest interview has renewed calls for a detailed examination of the intelligence failures preceding October 7.

The central issue is not merely whether an Egyptian official visited Israel, but what warning he delivered, which Israeli officials received it, whether it was passed to the relevant decision-makers, and what action followed.

Those questions remain unresolved by Netanyahu’s televised remarks. Establishing the full sequence of events will require access to official records, testimony from those involved, and a comprehensive investigation into the intelligence and political decision-making before the attack.