PMO Rejects Reports of Prior Egyptian Warning Concerning October 7 Attack
The Prime Minister's Office rejected Atlantic magazine reports claiming Egypt warned Israel before October 7, calling the allegations recycled falsehoods.
The Prime Minister's Office strongly rejected reports claiming Egypt warned Israel of an impending Hamas attack prior to October 7, dismissing the claims as recycled falsehoods.
Prime Minister's Office Denial
In an official statement released on Saturday evening, the Prime Minister's Office responded to an investigation published in The Atlantic magazine. The report alleged that Abbas Kamel, then-head of Egypt's General Intelligence Directorate, secretly visited Israel on September 26, 2023—eleven days before the massacre—to warn of a major Hamas operation.
"This is a false claim. It was denied back then, and now it is being recycled to mislead the Israeli public," the Prime Minister's Office stated.
Details of the Alleged Warning
According to The Atlantic report, Kamel did not provide a specific date for the attack or present concrete details regarding its exact nature. Furthermore, the Prime Minister's Office emphasized that Egypt itself officially denied passing any early warnings to Israel shortly after the outbreak of the war, citing a statement issued on October 11, 2023.
The office also addressed claims directed personally at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, clarifying that he had no contact with Kamel during the months leading up to the war:
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Netanyahu did not meet or speak with Abbas Kamel.
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No Israeli intelligence official transmitted such a warning to the Prime Minister.
The investigation itself did not specify which Israeli officials Kamel allegedly met with, noting that their identities remain unknown. Tzachi Hanegbi, who served as head of the National Security Council at the time, similarly rejected the report, stating that Kamel did not visit Israel on that date and that no Egyptian alert was conveyed.
