After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the US ceased spieing on Palestinian terror groups, such as Hamas, and instead concentrated on Al Qaeda and the Islamic State more than 20 years ago. In 1997, the United States classified Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization. However, the violent organization with its headquarters in Palestine is ranked lowest in the National Intelligence Priorities Framework, a top-secret document that specifies the importance of acquiring intelligence.
Thus, according to a veteran CIA operations officer, the US ought to take responsibility for its failure to prevent the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The CIA believed that Israel could identify and neutralize any impending threat thanks to its extensive spying capabilities.
Experts surmise that the Hamas militants had trained extensively for the attack for at least a year without anyone noticing. Furthermore, Hamas fighters were well-versed in both the architecture of the kibbutzim and Israel's military installations. Thousands of rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, and scores of armed Hamas militants breached the strongly guarded border between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The greatest threat to Israel, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Israeli security officials, was Iran and its most potent proxy, Hezbollah. Furthermore, this took the Israeli government's focus and resources away from fighting Hamas.