According to the chairman of a US congressional commission, Egypt warned Israel of impending violence three days before Hamas’ fatal cross-border attack.
Reporters were informed of the claimed threat by Michael McCaul, chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.
The reports were called “absolutely false” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The inability of the Israeli intelligence services to stop the bloodiest strike by Palestinian militants in Israel’s 75-year history has drawn criticism.
“We know that Egypt has warned the Israelis three days prior that an event like this could happen,” Mr. McCaul told reporters during a closed-door intelligence briefing on the Middle East issue for legislators on Wednesday, according to the AFP news agency.
The Texas Republican continued, “I don’t want to get too much into classified, but a warning was given.” “I think the question was at what level.”
The Associated Press news agency was informed this week by an Egyptian intelligence official that Cairo had frequently forewarned the Israelis that “something big” was being planned from Gaza.
“We have warned them that there will be a tremendous eruption of the issue coming very soon. But they didn’t take these warnings seriously,” the official, who requested anonymity, said.
According to the Cairo official, Israeli leaders downplayed the Gaza threat in favour of concentrating on the West Bank.
Between 2014 until 2020, Sir Alex Younger led the UK’s foreign intelligence service. He said that Israel’s “institutional complacency” let Hamas fighters to carry out their strike on October 7.
He claimed that Israel may have assumed that Hamas had no interest in starting a new war and that any evidence to the contrary had been dismissed on BBC Radio 4’s Today Podcast.
“It is my assumption – though I’m not on the inside – that there would be data breaking through that could have been interpreted differently and certainly would be with hindsight,” he stated.
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Using excessive amounts of technology to monitor Gaza may have contributed to complacency, he continued, creating a false sense of security.
There was no concrete evidence of a specific attack, the Financial Times reported, citing two unidentified sources familiar with the situation.
Mr. Netanyahu referred to any claims that Israel had received a particular warning prior to the deadly assault as “totally fake news” on Wednesday.
Egypt frequently mediates disputes between Israel and Hamas since it has control over who enters or exits Gaza.
In a coordinated land, air, and sea attack on Saturday, more than 1,500 terrorists broke over the Gaza military barrier.
1,200 people have died as a result of Hamas strikes in Israel. Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have resulted in more than a thousand fatalities.
In retaliation, Israel has been shelling Hamas targets in Gaza, and locals there claim they don’t have mains electricity because their only power plant ran out of fuel.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden’s comments on Tuesday that Israel had a responsibility to respond to the bombings, which he called a “act of sheer evil,” were denounced by Hamas.
According to the Palestinian organisation, Mr Biden’s comments were “inflammatory” and intended to raise the tenor in the Gaza Strip.
Following the Hamas attack, the US declared it will send a carrier, ships, and jets to the eastern Mediterranean, as well as extra weapons and ammunition to Israel.
BBC
