Egypt conveyed at least three separate warnings to Israel ahead of the October 7 massacre, including a secret visit to Israel just two weeks before and a phonecall to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, days prior to the attack, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing officials in an Arab government.
According to the WSJ report Egypt’s intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, had already given Netanyahu several warnings that there were signs of an impending attack from Gaza, but to no avail.
A report from the Atlantic on Saturday revealed that Kamel secretly visited Israel 11 days before October 7, to meet with the prime minister and warn him of the attack, however the new WSJ report found that even after that meeting Kamel conveyed an additional warning to Netanyahu, calling him in the days before the massacre.
Netanyahu has previously denied personally receiving advance knowledge, claiming that security chiefs did not adequately warn him.
The call from Kamel was not the only warning that Netanyahu received in the lead-up to October 7, the sources told the WSJ, Netanyahu and other Israeli officials received multiple advanced warnings.
These claims come with just under a month until the first Israeli elections since October 7, 2023, drawing renewed attention to the already divisive issue of government handling of October 7 and information regarding it.
Kamel’s warnings at the in person meeting
Israeli, Arab, American, and European officials briefed after October 7 on the visit said Kamel warned that Hamas appeared to be preparing for a major attack, the report mentioned, adding that he urged Israel to take economic steps to reduce tensions in the Gaza Strip.
A former Israeli official briefed on the meeting described the Egyptian message this way: “If you don’t change course, Gaza is going to explode in your face.”
The investigation noted that Kamel did not provide a date for a possible attack, identify targets, or share concrete details about the nature of the threat. It remains unclear who exactly he met with during his hour-long visit to Israel.
At the time, most warnings focused on the possibility of escalation, rocket fire, or renewed violence in Gaza, rather than the coordinated, multi-front assault Hamas carried out on October 7.
Warnings from other Arab countries prior to October 7
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) also attempted to warn the Israeli prime minister of the impending attack, Arab officials told the WSJ.
Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu that there were indications of an upcoming Hamas attack in a phonecall in September 2023, however sources told the WSJ that the Israeli prime minister didn’t seem convinced.
The warnings didn’t discuss timing or scale of the potential attack.
Netanyahu has historically denied claims that he recieved warnings from either the Egyptian intelligence chief or the Emirati leader in the months leading up to October 7.
