Abbas Kamel’s rare visit to the region served as a direct alert that the Gaza Strip was facing an imminent and violent collapse of stability. The Atlantic reports that Kamel, Egypt's intelligence chief, met with Israeli officials on Sept. 26, 2023, to warn that Hamas was mobilizing for a major attack and that "Gaza is going to blow up" unless Israel changed its policy. Egypt continued to raise concerns as late as two days before the incursions on Oct. 7.

The office of Benjamin Netanyahu has denied that it received these warnings. The intelligence shared by Kamel reportedly focused on the broader mobilization of Hamas forces but did not provide a specific date or a detailed operational plan for the coming attack.