Gaza war could have ended a year earlier, achieved more Hamas disarmament, ex-hostage chief says

The Israel-Hamas War could have ended a year sooner, possibly resulting in greater disarmament of Hamas and saving numerous lives, according to former lead hostage negotiations coordinator Maj.-Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon. Alon, who served in the role from October 2023 to October 2025, stated that he pushed for earlier deals but was consistently denied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Alon directly challenged recent statements by Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, who claimed responsibility for returning all hostages due to his aggressive stance. Alon countered that approximately 40 hostages taken alive were killed during the conflict, some possibly by Israeli actions or due to captivity conditions, and that different decisions could have led to their survival. He firmly rejected the notion that Netanyahu or Smotrich deserved credit for the hostage returns, especially concerning the insistence on achieving an "absolute victory."

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What can I say about this statement? Even when we talk about having returned all of the hostages: about 40 hostages who were taken alive were killed and murdered, and some of them by our own power, others by their abductors, and some could not survive the conditions [of captivity]. Some other different decisions and negotiations could have returned them alive; that is final, and we should not forget it.

According to Alon, Netanyahu and the cabinet opted against full hostage deals until late 2024, choosing instead to prolong the war. He suggested this decision was driven by a desire to continue the conflict until their "fake absolute victory" was achieved. Alon concluded that it was only the intervention of then-US President Donald Trump that ultimately forced Netanyahu's government to end the war, implying they would have otherwise continued indefinitely without achieving Hamas's disarmament.

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When the alternative of partial deals was put on the table before the cabinet, and the issue was partial versus a broader agreement, the choice [up until fall 2025] was a partial agreement to allow for continuing the war.