The Wall Street Journal reported on September 27 that in early October 2023, Egypt issued two warnings indicating that attacks were about to occur in the Gaza Strip, but Israel did not take these warnings seriously. Arab government officials said that Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel called Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and issued a third warning. Several days later, Hamas launched an attack on Israel, resulting in the death of approximately 1200 people and the hostage-taking of about 250 people. This attack led to a devastating war in the Gaza Strip, which changed the situation in the Middle East region.
Arabian government officials and other sources familiar with the matter said that this call from Karmeli had never been reported before. It was one of several warnings received by Netanyahu and other Israeli officials prior to the attack.
Arabian officials and people familiar with the matter said that in September 2023, Netanyahu was also informed during a phone call with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed that there were signs indicating that Hamas might launch attacks. However, Netanyahu seemed to not believe this. The warning did not specify the time or scale of any potential attacks.
Egyptian Intelligence Director Abbas Kamel - Associated Press Photo
According to reports, Arab government officials said that Egypt’s first warning to Israel in June 2023 was not clear. They warned Israel about the volatile situation in Gaza and urged Israel to return to the negotiating table to negotiate with Hamas.
These officials stated that in September of that same year, Karmelim flew to Israel and issued an even more serious warning. Karmelim informed the Israelis that the situation in Gaza was extremely critical and that it could lead to catastrophic consequences for everyone.
But Israeli officials told Karmel that the situation was under control. Government officials from Arab countries said that a few days before the attack, Karmel called Netanyahu’s office. One of the officials said that Egypt had continuously warned Israel until 48 hours before the attack.
Arabian government officials stated that, in addition to Egypt, officials from the UAE are also growing concerned about Hamas. They have discussed intelligence assessments with each other and shared this information with the United States. They noted that the tone and threats of Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar have changed, and Arab intelligence agencies have discovered frequent meetings between Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization (Jihad).
The chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Republican Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, stated in 2023 that Egypt had warned Israel about an impending attack. “We know that Egypt alerted Israel three days before the incident, indicating that such events were possible.”
The Wall Street Journal asked questions to Netanyahu's office regarding this call by Karmel, but there was no response from Netanyahu's office. Netanyahu's office had previously denied that Israeli leaders had spoken with Karmel during the months before October 7, 2023.
The Egyptian Foreign Affairs Ministry and the UAE Foreign Affairs Ministry have not responded to requests for comment.
Netanyahu previously denied having received personal warnings from the leaders of the UAE before the attack. This information first appeared in the book "843 Days of Giving Up and Resilience" written by Israeli journalist Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval. The earlier warning from Egypt was first reported by Israel's newspaper Yediot Aharonot.
Israel will hold parliamentary elections on October 27. Netanyahu's responsibility for the attacks on October 7, 2023, has once again become a key issue in the election campaign. A poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute in September showed that 68% of Jewish Israeli voters said that the events of October 7, 2023, would be an important factor in their voting decisions.
Israeli Independence Party leader and former Chief of the General Staff of the Defense Forces, Gadi Eshkenazi, said that Netanyahu has been evading responsibility for the attack on October 7, 2023. He also accused Netanyahu of possibly committing treason, as he supported Qatar in providing funds to Gaza, which Eshkenazi believed benefited Hamas before the attack.
Netanyahu condemned his security officials, saying that they failed to warn him of the impending attack. He claimed that if he had received the information earlier in the morning when Hamas launched its attack, he would have taken different measures.
Israel officials denied this statement.
Israeli national security analysts believe that the attack was not prevented, and the problem lies not only with Netanyahu. It also involves a lack of intelligence personnel from the Israeli National Security Agency in Gaza to detect Hamas’s plans. The Israeli military ignored the warnings from female observers along the Gaza border, who reported an increase in Hamas’s training activities. The Israeli military was aware of Hamas’s invasion plans but deemed them impractical and thus ignored them.
Some former Israeli officials say that these warnings may ultimately have no impact, because Israeli government officials have a deeply ingrained belief that Hamas will never launch such attacks.
