In a recent development, the President of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Council, Michael McCaul, disclosed that Egypt had issued a warning to Israel about the potential for a Hamas attack three days before it occurred. The information was shared following a closed-door intelligence briefing for members of the U.S. Congress, during which McCaul stated, “We are aware that Egypt had alerted Israel to the possibility of such an event taking place three days before the attack.” McCaul refrained from delving into specific details but noted that a warning had been conveyed. He also mentioned that it remained uncertain how the potential attack had gone unnoticed by both the United States and Israel.
Egyptian authorities have refrained from making an official statement concerning the allegations that they may have provided advance notice to Israel. However, sources close to intelligence agencies, in discussions with Egyptian media, refuted similar reports featured in the Israeli media. These sources firmly asserted that Egypt did not provide any prior information to Israel.
Additionally, two undisclosed sources speaking to the Financial Times revealed that Egyptian intelligence had previously warned Israel about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and the increasing likelihood of an “explosive event.”
Furthermore, an unnamed Egyptian official conveyed to the U.S.-based news agency Associated Press on Monday that Egypt had been in recent discussions with Israel regarding a significant issue, without specifying further. The official underscored that they had repeatedly cautioned Israel that the situation was on the brink of a crisis and that a major incident was imminent. Regrettably, these warnings went unheeded by Israeli authorities.
The recent Hamas attack on Saturday morning marked one of the deadliest assaults on Israel in 75 years. It involved thousands of rockets launched from Gaza into Israel, and over 1,500 Hamas militants crossed the Gaza security barrier. The conflict resulted in more than 1,200 Israeli casualties in Hamas attacks and over 1,100 Palestinian casualties in Israeli counterattacks.
Egypt has a history of acting as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, and its intelligence agencies are known to closely monitor Hamas activities.
