Kan News says two businessmen, not Abbas Kamel, were on Egyptian plane that landed in Israel, report says
Kan News reported that two businessmen, not Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, were aboard an Egyptian private aircraft that landed at Ben Gurion Airport before October 7, 2023. The aircraft, identified as belonging to Smart Aviation, arrived on September 26, 2023, received ground services from QAS, and departed for Cairo about an hour later with no passengers aboard, Kan News said.
AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 4 outlets' reporting · Full text read from 1 of 4 outletsHow it's made
What happened
Key facts
- Kan News reported that two businessmen, not Abbas Kamel, were aboard an Egyptian private aircraft that landed in Israel before October 7, 2023 (per israelnationalnews.com).
- Kan News reported the aircraft departed without any passengers aboard (per israelnationalnews.com).
- Israel National News said Kan News contradicted a previous report in The Atlantic that named Abbas Kamel as on the flight (per israelnationalnews.com).
The brief
Kan News reported that an Egyptian private aircraft that landed at Ben Gurion Airport on September 26, 2023, was carrying two businessmen and not Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel.
The report, cited by Israel National News, says the jet belonged to the Egyptian charter company Smart Aviation and arrived shortly before 10:00 a.m., receiving ground services from QAS before departing for Cairo at about 11:00 a.m. with no passengers aboard.
Kan News presented that account as a direct contradiction of a recent Atlantic report that had said Abbas Kamel spent time in Israel during that visit.
Israel National News framed the Kan News findings as directly challenging The Atlantic's earlier reporting, and included a separate confirmation from Avi Gil, who previously served as Netanyahu's military secretary, that an Egyptian aircraft did land in Israel roughly a week and a half before October 7, 2023.
The Kan News item gives specific timing for the aircraft's arrival and departure and identifies the charter operator by name. The report does not say who arranged the ground services or offer documentation beyond the Kan News account as presented.
According to the Kan News account relayed by Israel National News, the aircraft left Israel without passengers approximately an hour after landing. The article notes the aircraft returned to Cairo after the brief stop.
The Israel National News piece attributes the differing identification of the passenger manifest to Kan News without supplying passenger manifests or official confirmation from Egyptian authorities in its text.
Kan News' denial that Abbas Kamel was aboard contrasts with reporting that had placed the Egyptian intelligence chief in Israel and attributed to him a brief stay; Israel National News explicitly states Kan News' version as contradicting The Atlantic.
Israel National News repeats the specifics Kan News provided—the operator Smart Aviation, the September 26, 2023 landing date, the sub-11:00 a.m. arrival and roughly 11:00 a.m. departure, and the role of QAS in providing ground services.
The reporting in Israel National News does not cite Egyptian government records or Ben Gurion Airport manifests in its text, nor does it include an on-the-record denial from Egyptian officials.
It presents Kan News' claims, notes Avi Gil's corroboration that a private Egyptian plane landed in Israel shortly before October 7, 2023, and highlights the discrepancy with The Atlantic's earlier account. The article does not provide further evidence to resolve which account is accurate.
Why it matters
- Passengers named on the flight determine who entered Israel in the days before October 7, 2023, and Kan News' account replaces a high-profile official — Abbas Kamel — with two businessmen, altering public understanding of which actors moved through Ben Gurion Airport.
- The specific timing documented (arrival shortly before 10:00 a.m. and departure at approximately 11:00 a.m. on September 26, 2023) pins the plane’s presence to a narrow window that shapes inquiries by officials or journalists into who was in Israel at that moment.
- Identification of the aircraft as belonging to Smart Aviation and the use of QAS for ground services points to commercial and ground-handling actors whose records could be checked to corroborate passenger lists and movements.
What to watch next
- Whether Ben Gurion Airport or Smart Aviation publishes passenger or ground-handling records that confirm Kan News’ claim about the aircraft and its passengers on September 26, 2023.
- Whether Egyptian authorities release a statement confirming or denying Abbas Kamel’s presence in Israel on September 26, 2023, or provide flight manifests for the Smart Aviation aircraft.
- Whether The Atlantic responds to Kan News’ account with documentary evidence or clarification about its earlier reporting naming Abbas Kamel.
How it's being covered
Coverage analysisShow details4 source articles · 4 unique outletsCoverage mix: Mixed· 1 Left · 1 Center · 2 RightWhere the outlets are based: Middle East 100%
- Coverage is currently concentrated among outlets based in Middle East (4 of 4 geographically-identified sources).
How outlets' accounts compare
How we got here
Immediate backdrop: in November 2023, The Atlantic published a high-profile report that named Abbas Kamel, then director of Egypt’s General Intelligence Directorate, as being aboard an Egyptian aircraft that reportedly landed in Israel shortly before October 7, 2023.
The October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel is a fixed chronological anchor for these reporting disputes; subsequent accounts focused on who traveled where in the days immediately before that date.
Original sources
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