Netanyahu admits Egyptian intelligence chief visited Israel before Hamas attack: Report
Earlier reports say Abbas Kamel warned of a major Hamas operation 11 days before it took place
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that Egypt’s then-intelligence chief visited Israel shortly before the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas after repeatedly dismissing reports that Cairo had warned him of an impending assault, Israel’s Haaretz daily reported Tuesday.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, Netanyahu confirmed that Abbas Kamel had spent 59 minutes in the country but claimed he did not know which Israeli official had met with him.
“I want to know who he met with,” Netanyahu said, invoking the “deep state.”
He denied meeting or speaking with Kamel, saying he was attending a memorial ceremony for Israeli soldiers at the time.
Netanyahu had previously dismissed reports that Kamel warned him of an impending Hamas attack as “fake news.”
The Atlantic reported in late September that Kamel traveled to Israel on Sept. 26, 2023, 11 days before the attack, to warn that Hamas was preparing a major assault.
Citing Israeli, Egyptian, Arab, US and European officials briefed on the visit, the magazine said Kamel urged Israel to offer economic concessions to Hamas to avert a confrontation. It said the identity of the Israeli official he met remained unclear.
The Wall Street Journal also reported last month that Kamel had called Netanyahu days before the attack, following two earlier Egyptian warnings that went unheeded.
Separately, The New York Times reported in September that United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had warned Netanyahu of a possible major Hamas attack, but the Israeli prime minister failed to relay the warning to his security chiefs.
