Retired General Nitzan Alon, who was involved in hostage negotiations at the beginning of the Gaza war, stated that a deal to return all Israeli captives could have been reached much earlier than October 2025. He suggested that the negotiations were unnecessarily prolonged, indicating that the process could have been completed a year earlier without significantly impacting the strategic goals of the war. "I think that we could [have gotten to] this point much earlier, maybe a year earlier or so, without any major implication on the other strategic goals of the war," Alon said during a webcast hosted by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy on October 2, 2026.
Alon criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assertion that a total victory was necessary before signing a deal, calling it "false." He described the October 2025 ceasefire as a strategic achievement that reduced Hamas's military capabilities but noted that it could have been secured sooner, potentially allowing for the return of more hostages alive.
In October 2025, a prisoner exchange deal was executed under a ceasefire agreement, resulting in the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinians from Israeli jails and 20 Israeli captives from Gaza. Alon emphasized that an earlier resolution could have saved thousands of lives on both sides.
Former Israeli diplomat Alan Pinkas echoed Alon’s sentiments, stating that a deal was feasible shortly after the Hamas attack in October 2023, and lamented the nearly two-year delay before the hostages were returned.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani also mentioned that Israeli officials rejected a Hamas proposal for a ceasefire to facilitate the release of captives shortly after the attacks. Alon’s remarks come ahead of Israel’s legislative elections on October 27, 2026, with current polls indicating significant public dissatisfaction with Netanyahu's government.
Additionally, a report by Haaretz claimed that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had warned Netanyahu about a potential attack, which Netanyahu has denied, labeling the report as "fabricated" and "false."