The CIA issued at least two warnings about a potential uprising in Gaza in the weeks leading up to last week's attack on Israel, including one days before that said an attack by Hamas was imminent, The New York Times and CNN reported Friday.
The Times reported that President Joe Biden and senior White House officials were not briefed on any of the reports. CNN reported that the CIA assessments were, in part, based on intelligence provided by Israel. It's unclear if Israel was briefed, according to the reports.
The Times reported that the assessment, one issued Sept. 28 and the others on Oct. 5 and 6, were described as routine and similar to previous reports. Hamas struck Israel last Saturday, Oct. 7.
The assessment on Sept. 28 warned that Hamas was preparing to unleash another round of rocket attacks on Israel, a common occurrence. The Oct. 5 assessment warned of the increasing chance of an attack by Hamas, according to both outlets. CNN reported that the Oct. 6 assessment warned of an imminent attack.
More than 1,300 in Israel are dead in the wake of Hamas' incursion, with 27 Americans among the dead.
The reports come two days after Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that Egypt did, in fact, warn Israel three days before the attack. It's unclear to what level, he said.
"The problem is that none of this is new," CNN quoted an intelligence source. "This is something that has historically been the norm between Hamas and Israel."
Both the U.S. and Israel are under fire for the intelligence breakdown. And while the reported assessments did not come close to the scope of the precision and brutality carried out by Hamas, CNN reported that it followed a disturbing trend of intel reports over the past year that were routinely ignored.
"They never listened every time we warned them," a senior Arab official told CNN.
The result was a breach and attack that reportedly surprised even the terrorists.
"They hoped to kill some Israelis, embarrass the IDF and return to Gaza with two or three kidnapped Israelis. Instead, they roamed inside Israel for more than a day, killing over a thousand Israelis and getting stuck with something like 200 abductees," Al-Monitor quoted a diplomat. "That's the tragedy of their success."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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