A secret report has emerged that adds pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu as he prepares for a national election.

According to an investigation by The Atlantic, Egypt's then intelligence chief Abbas Kamel travelled to Israel on 26 September 2023 — eleven days before the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 — aboard an aircraft linked to Egyptian intelligence.

The magazine said the plane stayed in the country for 67 minutes before returning to Cairo, citing Israeli airport flight records and officials in Israel, Egypt and other countries.

During the visit, the report says, Kamel warned that Hamas appeared to be moving towards a major attack and that there was no time to lose in preventing it. He did not, however, give a date, targets or other specifics.

Netanyahu's office rejected reports that the prime minister received any warning from Egypt, directly or indirectly, shortly after the 7 October attack. Tzachi Hanegbi, who headed Israel's national security council at the time, has also rejected The Atlantic's account.

The report is drawing particular attention because it comes as Israel prepares for an election next month and as an independent inquiry into the failures preceding the attack has been authorised.