According to a report originally published by the Wall Street Journal and cited by the Times of Israel, Egyptian intelligence officials repeatedly warned the Israeli government about a brewing threat from Hamas in the days leading up to the October 7, 2023, attack. The report claims that Egypt’s intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, personally reached out to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convey these concerns.

While the Israeli government has previously faced scrutiny regarding its preparedness and the intelligence it received prior to the Hamas-led incursion, the specific nature and frequency of these alleged warnings remain a subject of debate. The report asserts that Cairo issued at least two prior warnings before the final alert, which was reportedly delivered approximately 48 hours before the violence began.

Israeli officials have not provided a comprehensive public response confirming or denying the specific details of these alleged communications from Egyptian intelligence. The reports highlight a significant point of tension regarding the flow of intelligence between regional allies and the internal decision-making processes within the Israeli security establishment. Because the original source of this information is an investigative report rather than an official government disclosure, the timeline and content of these warnings continue to be analyzed by international observers and domestic critics of the Netanyahu administration.