Israeli military and security heads decided not to put their forces near the Gaza Strip on high alert Friday despite intelligence that detailed abnormal maneuvers by Hamas.
Three Israeli officials told Axios, according to a story published Thursday, that Israeli intelligence conversed about potential signs that Hamas was planning some type of attack a day before the attack.
Multiple meetings then took place to discuss the information, including the likes of Israel Defense Forces Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, and the country's head of military intelligence.
The discussions reportedly surrounded whether the activity represented an exercise or attack preparations. However, talks surrounding a potential civilian massacre appear to have been far off their purview.
After deliberating whether to put their forces on high alert in response, the leaders ultimately decided to hold off and await more robust intelligence.
They did appear to direct a small Shin Bet special force team and a police counterterrorism unit to the region.
But after Hamas attacked southern Israel several hours later, it became apparent that it was nowhere near enough.
Hamas slaughtered at least 1,300 individuals in Israeli territory and wounded another 3,400. Around 200 individuals are estimated to be held hostage by the Iran-backed terrorist group.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office told Axios it was not updated about the Friday meeting until 6:29 a.m. Israel Daylight Time, at which point Hamas had started its attack.
"When Netanyahu got the update, he immediately went to his office in Tel Aviv, held consultations, and convened the security cabinet," Netanyahu's office revealed.
The report comes one day after U.S. House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said that both Washington and Israel's intelligence failed to catch and warn of the attacks before they happened.
"We're not quite sure how we missed it," McCaul said. "I'm not quite sure how Israel missed it."
He also said that he was briefed that Egypt warned Israel three days before the attack that "an event like this could happen," but did not elaborate.