Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the chair of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, said it remains unclear at what level the warning was given. He shared this information following an intelligence briefing to senior members of Congress.
While Israel was taken off guard by the surprise attack, McCaul's comments suggest that Egypt had indeed provided a warning in advance.
In the attack, over 1,500 Hamas fighters breached the Gaza border fence, resulting in the tragic deaths of more than 1,200 Israeli civilians at locations such as a music festival and kibbutzim near the border.
Israel's military response on the ground was delayed for several hours.
Previously, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had dismissed reports of a warning from Cairo, referring to them as "fake news." This contradiction followed initial reports of an Egyptian warning.
An unnamed Egyptian official revealed that Egypt had repeatedly communicated with the Israelis about a looming significant event but suggested that Israeli authorities had focused more on the West Bank and underestimated the threat from Gaza.
The official told the Associated Press that Cairo had repeatedly warned the Israelis "something big" was being planned from Gaza.
"We have warned them an explosion of the situation is coming, and very soon, and it would be big. But they underestimated such warnings," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Attack may have been planned for a year, says McCaul
McCaul further indicated that the attack may have been planned for up to a year without detection by Israel or its allies. The failure to anticipate the attack is attributed to multiple factors, including an absence of electronic signals due to Hamas' avoidance of electronic surveillance.
Additionally, there was a structural issue related to Israel's overreliance on technological defense systems.
Alex Younger, a former head of MI6, compared the failure to anticipate the attack to the lack of foresight leading up to the 9/11 attacks, emphasizing a need for improved interpretation of data.
Younger, who served as chief of the U.K.'s foreign intelligence agency between 2014 and 2020, blamed the "institutional complacency" in Israel.
Interviewed on BBC Radio 4's "Today Podcast," Younger said Israel may have assumed Hamas was not interested in a new conflict.
"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 said.
The former British spy chief also warned of Hamas' strategic intentions, suggesting they may be setting a trap for Israel and aiming to provoke a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza, which could lead to significant civilian casualties and contribute to the cycle of violence.
"You cannot kill all the terrorists without creating more terrorists," he said.
The ongoing Israeli retaliatory strikes on Gaza have resulted in casualties and displacements, with numerous Palestinian lives affected by the conflict. (Related: Israel WEAPONIZES food, water and electricity against 2+ million civilians in Gaza in retribution for Hamas terror attacks.)
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Watch Kash Patel and Steve Bannon talking about the failure of Israel's intelligence amid the Hamas terror attack.
This video is from the Son of the Republic channel on Brighteon.com.
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