Israeli Leaders Deny Meeting Egyptian Intelligence Chief Before October 7
Israeli leaders deny meeting former Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel during his secretive 2023 pre-war visit, sparking a major political controversy over intelligence warnings.
Top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the former heads of the intelligence agencies, have denied any connection to a secret visit by Egypt's intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, who landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on September 26, 2023—just 11 days before the October 7 massacre. According to recent reports, Kamel allegedly warned Israeli officials of a major impending Hamas attack during this brief visit.
In a recent interview with Channel 14, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged for the first time that Kamel had indeed arrived in Israel, but maintained that he did not meet with him because he was attending a memorial ceremony for fallen IDF soldiers. Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen and former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar also denied meeting Kamel, dismissing the reports as fake news, while the Prime Minister's Office emphasized that no agency official held talks with the Egyptian official.
The controversy intensified following an investigation by the Atlantic magazine, which revealed that a chartered flight linked to Egyptian intelligence landed at Ben-Gurion Airport and departed 67 minutes later. Former officials noted that such a high-level visit by a senior Egyptian envoy should have triggered immediate alarms regarding a potential escalation in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, critics and political opponents have raised questions regarding the handling of intelligence warnings leading up to the war. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Kamel attempted to reach out directly to Netanyahu in early October 2023 to issue a final warning regarding operations planned by Hamas, though the Prime Minister has consistently denied speaking with him.
