NSC Denies U.S. Had Prior Knowledge Of Hamas Attack Plan

The Nationwide Safety Council claimed on Sunday that United States intelligence had no prior data of a doc detailing Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault plan, after a bombshell report lately revealed that Israeli authorities obtained such data a 12 months in the past.

On Friday, The New York Occasions reported that the Israeli army was conscious of Hamas’ plan to assault Israel greater than a 12 months earlier than the lethal Oct. 7 assault that resulted in about 1,200 lifeless and 240 taken hostage. The doc detailing the plan was reportedly seen by many members of the Israeli army and intelligence group, who dismissed it as “aspirational” as a substitute of taking it critically.

Nationwide Safety Council spokesperson John Kirby mentioned on Sunday that the U.S. intelligence group is “looking into” the allegations within the Occasions report.

“Proper now, George, they haven’t any indications that we, america intelligence group, had any data of that doc beforehand or any visibility into it,” Kirby instructed George Stephanopoulos of Israel on ABC’s “This Week.”

“Now look, Israel — they’ve already talked about this. [Prime Minister] Netanyahu has mentioned that there’s clearly been some failures within the intelligence world when it got here to Oct. 7. They’re going to try this,” he continued. “They’ll do the forensic. They’ll try this they usually’ll do it totally. However proper now, definitely on intelligence, the main focus has obtained to be on ensuring that Israel has what it must go after Hamas management.”

Based on the Occasions, Israeli officers possessed a 40-page battle plan known as “Jericho Wall,” which laid out a possible assault by Hamas on southern Israeli communities. The doc mentioned that Hamas would rain rockets on Israel, use drones to disable Israeli surveillance on the border wall, and take over southern communities and army bases.

Ron Dermer, Israel’s minister of strategic affairs, instructed Stephanopoulos on Sunday that Netanyahu’s authorities will conduct an investigation into the main points of the Occasions report, however solely after the warfare. Dermer mentioned that Netanyahu was probably not conscious of such a doc a 12 months in the past as a result of he was not Israel’s prime minister on the time.

The report provides to the already current public outrage in Israel over Netanyahu and his authorities’s failure to forestall the assault regardless of a number of warnings.

Requested by NBC’s Kristen Welker if the White Home ought to have identified concerning the doc given how carefully U.S. intelligence coordinates with Israel, Kirby declined to present a direct reply.

“Intelligence is a mosaic and typically you’ll be able to style issues collectively and get a reasonably good image. Different occasions, there’s items of the puzzle which might be lacking,” Kirby instructed Welker on “Meet the Press.”

“As I mentioned, our personal intelligence group mentioned that they’ve checked out this. They haven’t any indications presently that that they had any superior warning of this doc or any data of it,” he mentioned.

The non permanent truce between Hamas and Israel ended on Friday, leading to Israeli authorities resuming nonstop bombardment that the Gaza Well being Ministry says has killed greater than 700 Palestinians in Gaza over the past 24 hours. That quantity is likely one of the highest day by day demise tolls because the violence escalated on Oct. 7.

“We imagine that they’ve been receptive to our messages right here when it comes to making an attempt to minimalize civilian casualties,” Kirby instructed Stephanopoulos. “And I’d inform you, we noticed that as they went into north Gaza. They did [it] in a extra exact method, a smaller method.”

Greater than 15,500 Palestinians have been confirmed killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 70% of whom are girls and kids, in keeping with the ministry. Greater than 41,300 have been wounded.

Israel pulled again its negotiators from Qatar on Saturday, claiming that Hamas violated the phrases of the truce settlement. Israeli authorities didn’t present particulars on the violation. Hamas has mentioned that it’s going to not resume captive-prisoner swap talks till Israel ends its destruction of Gaza.