The Atlantic reports Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel warned Israel less than two weeks before Oct. 7 that Hamas appeared to be 'mobilizing for a major attack.' The magazine quotes officials from several countries and says Kamel urged economic concessions to avert escalation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office calls the claims false and says they were denied at the time. A separate Haaretz report says the UAE issued a similar warning; Netanyahu denies that report and plans to sue.
Reports Say Egypt and UAE Warned Israel Before Oct. 7 — Netanyahu Denies Claims
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) speaks with Egyptian General Intelligence Service head Abbas Kamel during their meeting at the Israeli Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem. (is associated with: «Netanyahu rejects report Egypt warned Israel before October 7 attack») Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO/dpa
US magazine The Atlantic reported that Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel traveled to Israel less than two weeks before the October 7, 2023 attack and warned that Hamas appeared to be 'mobilizing for a major attack.' The article cites officials from Israel, Egypt, other Arab states, the United States and Europe.
What The Atlantic Report Claims
According to the magazine, Kamel cautioned that the "window to avert a catastrophe was closing" and urged Israeli leaders to consider economic concessions to Hamas to reduce the risk of escalation. The report says the visit lasted roughly an hour but does not identify who Kamel met while in Israel.
Official Responses
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office rejected the account, calling the allegation false and saying it had already been denied at the time and is now being "recycled to manipulate the Israeli public." Two days after the October 7 attack, Netanyahu's office also asserted there was no direct or indirect meeting between the prime minister and Kamel.
Related Reporting And Context
The Atlantic's piece follows a separate report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which said the United Arab Emirates warned Mr. Netanyahu that then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a large-scale offensive. Netanyahu's office has denied that account as well and announced plans to sue Haaretz for defamation.
These competing accounts have surfaced ahead of Israel's parliamentary election and highlight continuing disputes over what intelligence was shared before the October 7 attacks. Both reports rely on anonymous officials and have not released publicly verifiable documentary proof; key details — including the names of Israeli interlocutors and the full content of any meetings — remain undisclosed.
Bottom line: Multiple media outlets say regional actors warned Israel before Oct. 7; Netanyahu's office strongly denies the claims. Independent confirmation of those warnings and of who was briefed has not been made public.
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