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Israel’s failure to anticipate the Hamas terror attacks came despite warnings from Egypt that “something big” was about to happen, according to an intelligence officer from the go-between nation.
“We have warned them an explosion of the situation is coming, and very soon, and it would be big,” said the official from Egypt, which often serves as a mediator between Israel and Hamas.
“But they underestimated such warnings,” the Egyptian intelligence official told the Associated Press while speaking on condition of anonymity.
The threat from Gaza was overlooked because Israeli officials were focused on the rising tide of violence on the West Bank, the Egyptian insider claimed.
However, Israel sternly dismissed the anonymous official’s claim as “totally fake news.”
“The report to the effect that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a message in advance from Egypt is absolutely false,” the prime minister’s office tweeted.
“No message in advance has arrived from Egypt and the Prime Minister has neither spoken, nor met, with the head of Egyptian intelligence since the formation of the government, neither directly nor indirectly.”
Either way, Israel was caught flat-footed in the lead-up to the assault by Hamas, whose terrorists broke through border barriers to launch a brazen attack that has so far killed at least 800 people and wounded over 2,000, with the numbers expected to climb.
“This is a major failure,” said Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to Netanyahu. “This operation actually proves that the (Israeli intelligence) abilities in Gaza were no good.”
He declined to offer an explanation for the failure, saying lessons must be learned when the military operation achieves its immediate goals.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the IDF’s chief military spokesman, acknowledged that the army owes the public an explanation, but said now is not the time.
“First, we fight, then we investigate,” he said.
Follow along with The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel
Meanwhile, Army Radio commentators on Sunday mentioned that the IDF’s chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Herzl Halevi, has still not addressed the public directly about the crisis and left his spokespersons to field tough questions.
Several family members of Israeli civilians who remain missing after being abducted also called the station and complained that no one from the government has reached out to them yet.
With Post wires
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