Terrorist attack on October 7, 2023: Egypt is also said to have warned Israel of the threat from Hamas

dpa | Shortly before the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, Egypt is said to have warned Israel of the danger of a major attack by Hamas. This is reported by the US magazine “The Atlantic”, citing government representatives in Israel, Egypt and other Arab countries as well as representatives in the USA and Europe. Less than two weeks before October 7, Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel traveled to Israel and warned that Hamas appeared to be mobilizing for a "large-scale attack," according to the report.

Kamel's message to Israel's government was that the "window to avert catastrophe was closing," the report said. “If you don't change course, Gaza will blow up in your face,” said a former Israeli government official who was subsequently briefed on the visit, summing up the message of the visit. Kamel recommended that Israel make economic concessions to Hamas in order to avoid an escalation of the conflict.

Kamel is one of the most influential intelligence officials in the Middle East. He was and is a leader, among other things, in Egypt and Qatar's mediation between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza war. During the conflict, he has traveled to Israel several times in recent years.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said two days after October 7, 2023 that there was no warning from Egypt about the attack. There was also no direct or indirect meeting between Netanyahu and Kamel, his office said at the time. Corresponding representations are “fake news”.

After the publication of The Atlantic report, Netanyahu's office again said the claim was false. It was denied at the time and is now being rehashed in order to manipulate the Israeli public.

The report was written by the prominent US journalist Vivian Salama, who previously worked for the Wall Street Journal and the US news agency AP. She reported from the White House in Washington, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and 80 other countries, among others.

The Atlantic report does not mention who Kamel met. But he stayed in Israel for around an hour. His very presence in Israel demonstrated the urgency, government officials said, according to the report. An Israeli former government representative said that it was impossible that Netanyahu did not know about the visit or meeting with representatives of the Israeli secret services.

The new statement from Netanyahu's office said that in the months leading up to October 7, Netanyahu did not meet or speak with Kamel. No Israeli intelligence official conveyed such a warning to the prime minister.

About three weeks ago, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel's government had also been warned of a possible Hamas attack from the United Arab Emirates. Emirati President Mohammed bin Sajid warned Netanyahu in a 45-minute phone call that the then head of Hamas, Jihia al-Sinwar, was planning a large-scale offensive against Israel. However, Netanyahu did not inform the Israeli security chiefs.

Netanyahu has announced a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper because of the report. His office had previously denied the report.

Both reports are also explosive because of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Israel. Netanyahu's office described the Haaretz report as a "false story" in the "election campaign of the left." Critics, however, accuse him of not taking personal responsibility for the massacre almost three years ago.