Israel could’ve ended Gaza war, freed captives sooner: Israel ex-negotiator

What the report says

A former senior Israeli military negotiator says Israel could have reached a deal to free captives and end the Gaza war substantially earlier than it did. Retired Major General Nitzan Alon, who served as the army’s point person for hostage talks early in the conflict, told a Washington Institute for Near East Policy webcast that an agreement was possible “maybe a year earlier,” and that the war was prolonged unnecessarily.

Alon argued that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on “total victory” before any agreement was not necessary and said the eventual October 2025 ceasefire came too late. That deal led to the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinians from Israeli jails and 20 Israeli captives held in Gaza, according to the report. Alon said an earlier agreement could have returned some captives alive and might have shortened the war significantly.

The comments were made around the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which triggered the war. Former Israeli diplomat Alan Pinkas separately told Al Jazeera that a deal was possible soon after the attack and described the long delay as tragic. The article also notes that Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Israeli officials had not engaged with an early Hamas proposal for a limited ceasefire and captive release.

The remarks come as Israel heads toward an October 27 legislative election, with public anger still focused on the government’s handling of the attacks and the hostage crisis.