Rome, 26 Sept. (LaPresse) – Abbas Kamel, head of Egyptian intelligence, had travelled to Israel on 26 September 2023 to warn that Hamas appeared to be preparing for a large-scale attack and that the window of opportunity to avert a disaster was closing. This is reported by *The Atlantic*, citing Israeli, Egyptian, US and European officials. Kamel did not provide Israeli officials with a date, nor any specific information about what, less than two weeks later, on 7 October, would turn out to be a multi-pronged attack on Israel. It is unclear exactly who he held talks with, The Atlantic notes, but according to a former Israeli official, ‘there is no possible scenario’ in which Israeli leaders would meet with the head of Egyptian intelligence without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘being aware of it’. In the days following the attack, Netanyahu’s office denied that the Prime Minister had received any warnings from Egypt regarding the situation in Gaza.
Middle East: Egyptian intelligence warned Israel before 7 October
Rome, 26 Sept. (LaPresse) – Abbas Kamel, head of Egyptian intelligence, had travelled to Israel on 26 September 2023 to warn that Hamas appeared to be preparing for a large-scale attack and that the window of opportunity to avert a disaster was closing. This is reported by *The Atlantic*, citing Israeli, Egyptian, US and European officials. Kamel did not provide Israeli officials with a date, nor any specific information about what, less than two weeks later, on 7 October, would turn out to be a multi-pronged attack on Israel. It is unclear exactly who he held talks with, The Atlantic notes, but according to a former Israeli official, ‘there is no possible scenario’ in which Israeli leaders would meet with the head of Egyptian intelligence without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘being aware of it’. In the days following the attack, Netanyahu’s office denied that the Prime Minister had received any warnings from Egypt regarding the situation in Gaza.