Egyptian intelligence had warned Israel of 'something big' from Gaza: Report

Egyptian intelligence had warned Israel of 'something big' from Gaza but Israeli officials focused on the West Bank, The Associated Press reported on Monday. An Egyptian intelligence official said Egypt had spoken repeatedly with the Israelis about "something big" but Israeli officials played down the threat from Gaza. "We have warned them an explosion of the situation is coming, and very soon, and it would be big. But they underestimated such warnings,” the official was quoted as saying by the AP. 

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has, however, rejected the report saying it was "fake news". "No preliminary warning arrived from Egypt, and the prime minister has not spoken or met with the Egyptian intelligence chief since the establishment of the government – neither indirectly nor directly," the PM's office said in a statement as per Haaretz. "This is a complete fake news," it read.

At least 800 Israelis have been killed in the worst-ever attack mounted by Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. Following the attack, Israel declared a full-blown war against Hamas and is bombing its targets in Gaza.  

Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's office today announced that the minister ordered to increase in the intensity of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip and that he was told that all the Air Force pilots and reserve personnel reported for duty.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad have together taken over 130 Israeli hostages. Hamas claims that four Israeli hostages were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, according to Haaretz.