Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel flew to Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv in a Cessna, landing in an aviation hangar for confidential meetings, according to reporting by The Atlantic. The visit ties into an ongoing political controversy in Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces accusations from political opponents and investigative journalists that he ignored warnings about Hamas operations prior to the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Cairo Intelligence Warning and the Ben-Gurion Hangar Landing
The Atlantic reports that Abbas Kamel utilized a private Cessna to land at Ben-Gurion Airport, entering an aviorimessa used for high-level meetings. This detail builds on earlier reporting following the October attacks alleging that Cairo warned Netanyahu about mobilization inside Gaza. According to The Atlantic, Kamel may have met with a Mossad emissary during the stop.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly denied meeting or speaking with Kamel in the months leading up to October 7. The prime minister’s office maintains that no intelligence official passed such an alert to him, encapsulated by the defense that he did not know, and if security chiefs knew, they did not inform him.
Emirati Warning and Security Briefings
The New York Times corroborated a separate disclosure originally published by Haaretz from a forthcoming book by reporters Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval. According to the reporting, United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed called Netanyahu to warn him that Hamas was planning a large-scale operation. Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed that Netanyahu did not pass this information to security leadership.
During subsequent meetings with generals and intelligence heads, Netanyahu argued for maintaining calm in the Strip to protect diplomatic normalisation prospects with Saudi Arabia, as detailed by The New York Times. The coalition seeking to unseat Netanyahu after two decades points to these decisions as strategic failures leading up to the disaster.
Qatar Cash Transfers and the ‘Coal Carbon’ Source
Investigations by Yedioth Ahronoth highlight that starting in 2018, Netanyahu permitted Qatar to deliver suitcases containing millions of dollars to Hamas in Gaza, despite objections from intelligence services who warned the cash would fund jihadist arsenals. Netanyahu maintained that keeping Hamas in power and Palestinian factions divided helped prevent peace negotiations.
The Haaretz investigative report by Eldar and Yuval centers on Sufian Abu Zaida, a former Palestinian Authority minister known to Israeli 007 agents by the codename “Occhi di carbone.” Abu Zaida stated he was the source of the warning passed by Bin Zayed, having spoken with Yahya Sinwar regarding threats of an earthquake if Israel did not proceed with ongoing negotiations. Netanyahu approved the resumption of Qatari funds roughly ten days before the attacks.
Denial of meetings and warnings from regional leaders before October 7
Did Benjamin Netanyahu meet with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel before October 7?
Netanyahu has denied meeting or speaking with Kamel in the months preceding the attacks, stating that no security official passed such an alert to him. Reports from The Atlantic place Kamel’s private Cessna at Ben-Gurion Airport in a restricted hangar.
What was the nature of the warning from the United Arab Emirates?
According to The New York Times and Haaretz, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed called Netanyahu directly to warn that Hamas was planning a large-scale operation.
Why were Qatari funds delivered to Gaza?
Documents published by Yedioth Ahronoth show that starting in 2018, Netanyahu allowed Qatar to transfer millions of dollars in cash to Hamas in Gaza to maintain quiet in the Strip and keep Palestinian leadership divided.
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