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

What Happened

Major General Nitzan Alon, a former Israeli general who served as the Israeli military's point person for hostage negotiations at the start of the Gaza war, said on Friday that a deal to return all Israeli captives could have been achieved 'much earlier' than October 2025—'maybe a year earlier'—without major implications for other strategic war goals. Speaking during a Washington Institute for Near East Policy webcast, Alon said 'the war was too long' and called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that Israel needed 'total victory' before a deal was possible 'false.' He described the October 2025 ceasefire as a 'strategic achievement' that has curbed Hamas's military power but said it could have been secured sooner, with some captives who were killed or murdered during captivity returning alive. Under the October 2025 prisoner exchange deal, nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli jails and 20 Israeli captives were freed from Gaza. Alon also repeated earlier criticism of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, saying Smotrich had opposed some agreements put forward at various stages. Former Israeli diplomat Alan Pinkas said a deal was possible very soon after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and that it took almost two years to return the hostages. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Israeli officials rejected the idea of a Hamas proposal to release all captives in exchange for a limited ceasefire soon after the attacks; he said Doha reached out to Israeli officials 'on day one' with a message that Hamas leaders were asking for a ceasefire window to get civilians out, but 'they were not interested to engage in the idea.'

Key Actors

Why It Matters

These statements from a former senior Israeli hostage negotiator, a former diplomat, and Qatar's prime minister directly challenge the Israeli government's stated need to prolong the war to 'total victory.' The criticism lands less than a month before Israel's October 27 legislative election, where polls show a tight race and public anger over the government's failure to prevent the October 7 attacks. The Qatari account, if accurate, suggests an early path to release all captives was rejected, deepening accountability questions over Netanyahu's wartime decisions and potentially shaping both Israeli electoral politics and international narratives about the Gaza war's length and conduct.

Watch For

Monitor the October 27 Israeli legislative election for whether Alon's and Pinkas's remarks influence voter sentiment or political messaging from Netanyahu's Likud and rivals. Watch for any formal legal filing by Netanyahu against Haaretz over the UAE warning report, and for further disclosures from Qatari or former Israeli officials about early ceasefire and hostage-release proposals. Also track responses from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who Alon says opposed earlier agreements, and any impact on families of captives or public protest movements.