US confirms Egypt warned Israel days before Hamas attack
The US has confirmed that Egypt warned Tel Aviv of a possible impending attack, according to the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee — who says he is “not quite sure” how Israel and the US “missed it.”
“We know that Egypt had warned the Israelis three days prior that an event like this could happen,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said Wednesday following a closed-door intelligence briefing, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“I don’t want to get too much into classified (details), but a warning was given. I think the question was at what level.”
McCaul seemingly confirmed the earlier claim by an anonymous intelligence official in Egypt, which often serves as a mediator between Israel and Hamas.
“We have warned them an explosion of the situation is coming, and very soon, and it would be big,” the official said, accusing Israel of having “underestimated such warnings.”
Israel later dismissed it as “absolutely false” and “totally fake news” — but only “that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a message in advance from Egypt,” suggesting it could have been made without reaching the leader.
McCaul said his committee would also look into how US intelligence also did not know about the deadly assault that “we know that this has been planned, perhaps as long as a year ago.”
“We’re not quite sure how we missed it. We’re not quite sure how Israel missed it,” he said, according to the WSJ.
Hamas took Israel – and the rest of the world – by surprise when it unleashed a barrage of rockets and sent scores of armed terrorists into communities early Saturday.
An exiled leader has since said it was planned for two years — but was shocked at being able to kill more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
A diplomatic source also said that they had wanted to “embarrass” Israel “and return to Gaza with two or three kidnapped Israelis” — not the 150 they are known to have snatched.
Follow along with The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel
Instead, the situation has erupted into an all-out war that has since killed about 1,200 Israelis and another 1,100 in the Gaza Strip.
“This is a major failure,” admitted Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to Netanyahu.
“This operation actually proves that the (Israeli intelligence) abilities in Gaza were no good.”
Worst attack on Israel in 50 years: How we got here
2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip over three decades after winning the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: Terrorist group Hamas wins a Palestinian legislative election.
2007: Hamas seizes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launches military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fired rockets into the town of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches the biggest attack on Israel in 50 years.
Over 1,200 Israelis are dead, more than 3,000 are wounded and at least 100 were taken hostage, with the death toll expected to rise after Hamas terrorists fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of militants into Israeli towns.
Hamas terrorists were seen taking female hostages and parading them down the street in horrifying videos.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced “We are at war” and vowed Hamas would pay “a price it has never known.”
Gaza health officials report at least 1,050 Palestinians have been killed more than 5,000 injured.
McCaul and other members of Congress joined President Joe Biden in a closed-door briefing on the Israeli situation Wednesday.
Biden previously pledged ongoing US support for the Israeli cause – though reports said that he privately urged Netanyahu to minimize civilian casualties due to retaliatory air strikes in Gaza.
McCaul’s office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for a comment.
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