Egypt spy chief flew to Israel 11 days before Oct. 7 with warning on Gaza, report say

Key Points:

• On September 26, 2023, Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel visited Israel to warn that Gaza was nearing a dangerous escalation and urged economic concessions to Hamas to prevent conflict, but did not provide specific operational details about the impending Hamas attack.
• Despite the warning and subsequent approval of economic concessions, Israeli leadership, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, publicly denied receiving any direct or indirect warnings from Egypt about the imminent Hamas assault on October 7.
• Multiple regional and international actors, including the UAE and the UN, also issued warnings about rising tensions in Gaza, but intelligence assessments generally lacked specific details about the planned large-scale Hamas attack.
• Hamas used negotiations over work permits and fuel deliveries as a cover to finalize preparations for the October 7 attack, which resulted in about 1,200 Israeli civilian deaths and the abduction of 251 hostages, followed by a major Israeli military response in Gaza.
• The failure to adequately respond to these warnings has sparked significant political debate in Israel, with calls for an independent inquiry into the intelligence and political failures preceding the attack, which Prime Minister Netanyahu has resisted.