Egypt’s intel chief warned Netanyahu of attack days before Oct. 7, after 2 previous warnings — report

This official government handout photo shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosting Egyptian spy chief Abbas Kamel at his official residence in Jerusalem, May 30, 2021. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just days before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught to deliver an additional warning and signs of an imminent attack from Gaza after two previous Egyptian warnings were ignored, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The report, the latest in a series of recent Israeli and international reports about signs the premier and security authorities missed ahead of the mass invasion, says Egyptian officials first warned Israel in June 2023 about the general volatility of the situation with Gaza, advising the Jewish state to resume negotiations with the Palestinian terror group for a hostage-prisoner deal.

In September, Kamel flew to Israel and warned that “the situation in Gaza was dire and could blow up in everyone’s faces,” the report says, citing unnamed officials in an unidentified Arab government.

But Israeli officials dismissed the warnings, telling Kamel the situation was under control, prompting the October call to Netanyahu’s office, the report says, adding that “the Egyptians continued to warn Israel up until 48 hours before the attack.”

Netanyahu has previously denied ever speaking to Kamel in the months before the attack.

The report also repeats recent allegations that Emirati leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan called Netanyahu in September 2023 to warn him about indications of an impending Hamas attack.

None of the warnings contained specifics regarding the timing or magnitude of the planned assault, the report notes — in line with previous reports on the matter.

Netanyahu’s office and the foreign ministries of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates decline Wall Street Journal requests for comment.

Key Update

12:56 am

Israeli soccer captain on Ireland’s players: ‘Obviously they hate us. We don’t like them’

Israel's captain Manor Solomon speaks to Channel 5 Sports after Israel's 3-0 defeat to Ireland in the UEFA Nations League, September 27, 2026. (Channel 5 screenshot)

The Israeli soccer team’s captain Manor Solomon says he “can’t wait” for the return fixture after tonight’s 3-0 UEFA Nations League defeat to Ireland, so that Israel can show how well it is capable of playing.

Solomon says some of the Irish players said unpleasant things to their Israeli opponents during the game. “I don’t want to talk about [the Irish players]. If I say what I think of them, I’d likely be suspended for a few matches… Obviously they hate us. We don’t like them.”

“I’m waiting for the next game against them. It’ll be a completely different game entirely.”

As for the Irish players bowing their heads during Israel’s anthem, he says: “They don’t interest me. We have a country ten times better than theirs, stronger, an amazing country with amazing people. We are proud to wear the team shirt and to be Israelis. We are proud of our state and of our soldiers. [The Irish] can play all their tricks. We are Israelis and love the country. And that will always be the case.”

Team coach Ran Ben Shimon apologizes for the team’s “shameful” showing in the first 30 minutes, when they conceded the game’s three goals. “Huge disappointment,” he says.

“The blame is on me,” he stresses, rather than the players. “I thought we had prepared properly. We hadn’t.”

12:50 am

Goalkeeper Peretz apologizes for Israeli team’s poor showing in defeat to Ireland; says Irish players’ hostility ‘stems from ignorance’

Israel's goalkeeper Daniel Peretz speaks to Channel 5 Sports after Israel's 3-0 defeat to Ireland in the UEFA Nations League, September 27, 2026. (Channel 5 screenshot)

Israel’s goalkeeper Daniel Peretz apologizes “on behalf of all the players” for the national soccer team’s “embarrassing” performance in its 3-0 defeat to Ireland tonight, and vows that they’ll do better in their next two UEFA Nations League games, against Kosovo on Thursday and Ireland again next Sunday.

“It’s not that we didn’t want to play better or did not prepare,” he tells Channel 5 Sports. Rather, “we wanted to win too much.”

“We came to this match with a lot of emotions and this harmed us. We lost some of our concentration.”

“It’s easy to get depressed,” he says, “but we have two matches ahead,” including the return fixture against Ireland. “It won’t be like this, I promise you.”

Peretz says that at half time, with Israel already 3-0 down, the players recognized that they “couldn’t fix the first half” but resolved “not to lose the second.”

Asked what it was like to watch the Irish players bow their heads during the national anthem and eschew handshakes, with the Irish coach turning his back to the field, Peretz says “it all stems from ignorance.” He indicates that some of the Irish players did want to understand the situation Israel is in, but overall, “they expressed a view without understanding the situation. That’s on them; they are grown-ups.”

For the Israeli team, “we need to focus on the soccer — that was what we were most lacking today.” Peretz says. “We need to look hard at ourselves in the mirror.”

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11:46 pm

Israel defeated 3-0 in Nations League match against Ireland

Ireland’s midfielder #05 Jake O’Brien and Israel’s defender #19 Dor Turgeman vie for the ball during the UEFA Nations League Group B3 between Israel and Republic of Ireland in Debrecen, Hungary on September 27, 2026. (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP)

Israel’s Nations League game against Ireland ends in a 3-0 defeat. Israel slumped to a 3-0 deficit after 25 minutes, and could not get back into the game.

At the final whistle, the Irish players maintain their refusal to interact in a civil fashion with the Israelis, with no handshakes at the end of play.