Investigation reveals secret visit by Egypt's intelligence chief to Israel 11 days before the October 7 attack

⏱️ Timeline

1. 26 Sep 2026, 08:25 The Atlantic published an investigation stating that then-Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel visited Israel aboard a plane linked to Egyptian intelligence that landed at Ben Gurion Airport on 26 September 2023, about 11 days before the October 7 attack, carrying a warning that Hamas was preparing a large attack and that the window to prevent escalation was narrowing, along with a recommendation to offer economic concessions to Hamas. A former Israeli official conveyed the content of the message, saying Gaza "will explode in your faces."
2. 26 Sep 2026, 10:13 Israel's Channel 12 reported that Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel secretly visited Israel on 26 September 2023, 11 days before the October 7 attack, and warned Israeli officials that Hamas was preparing a large attack, according to an investigation published by The Atlantic. Kamel recommended that Israel provide economic aid to Hamas to prevent escalation, warning that Gaza "will explode" if Israel did not change its policy, and the visit lasted only 67 minutes.
3. 28 Sep 2026, 10:22 Details of the visit and the Egyptian warning continued to circulate in later reports, reaffirming that Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel secretly visited Israel on 26 September 2023 and that the visit preceded the October 7 attack by 11 days, based on the investigation published by the American magazine The Atlantic.

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