(RepublicanReport.org) – On October 7, Hamas — a terrorist organization — attacked Israel by firing thousands of rockets upon them in the early morning hours. The group then descended upon 22 Israeli towns in a coordinated attack launched by land, sea, and air, killing and kidnapping both civilians and military members alike, including men, women, and children. As of October 12, CBS News reported the death toll reached over 1,200 and left over 8,800 wounded. While many listed the attack as a surprise, recent reports show Israel may have had a heads-up from another country.
On October 11, Newsmax reported that House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Representative Mike McCaul (R-TX) revealed that Egypt allegedly told Israel about a possible terrorist attack three days before the incident. The legislator said he was told in a confidential briefing that the African country warned Israeli leaders that Hamas could launch “an event” such as the one recently unleashed last week. It’s unclear why McCaul revealed the sensitive information to the press. While he said he didn’t want to “get too much into classified [information],” he insisted a “warning was given.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied the reports, saying they were “absolutely false.” Still, McCaul wasn’t the only one saying Egypt warned Israel ahead of time. According to the Associated Press, an Egyptian intelligence officer said Cairo repeatedly warned the country that “something big” was in the works against the Gaza Strip. The anonymous source said the intelligence agency didn’t give a specific timeline but said an attack would happen “very soon” and it would “be big.” However, the official claimed that Israel played down the threat. Instead, the Israeli government reportedly focused its efforts on the West Bank.
Former special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian, Martin Indyk, concluded the main reason Israel was caught off guard was because of internal division within the Israeli government. It’s unclear if Hamas could have been stopped by heeding Egypt’s alleged warnings.
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