Israeli PM Netanyahu confirms visit by Egypt’s intelligence chief — Anadolu Agency

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Channel 14 that Abbas Kamel, who was then head of Egyptian intelligence, visited the country shortly before the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Anadolu Agency reported this, citing the Israeli outlet Haaretz.

Netanyahu’s statement

Netanyahu said that Kamel was in Israel for 59 minutes. At the same time, he said he did not know which Israeli official the Egyptian intelligence chief met with and mentioned the “deep state.”

The prime minister denied personally meeting or speaking with Kamel. According to him, he was attending a memorial ceremony honoring Israeli military personnel at the time.

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Reports of a warning

Earlier, Netanyahu called reports that Kamel had warned him about preparations for a Hamas attack fake. At the end of September, The Atlantic reported that Kamel arrived in Israel on September 26, 2023, 11 days before the attack, to warn of preparations for a large-scale assault.

According to The Atlantic, which cited Israeli, Egyptian, Arab, U.S. and European officials, Kamel urged Israel to offer Hamas economic concessions to avoid a confrontation. The publication noted that the identity of the Israeli official he met with remained unknown.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that Kamel called Netanyahu several days before the attack after two previous Egyptian warnings had not been heeded. The New York Times wrote in September that United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had warned Netanyahu about a possible large-scale Hamas attack, but the Israeli prime minister did not pass this warning on to security service chiefs.