Nitzan Alon: We could have reached the release of all hostages a year before it happened, without affecting the war's outcome
Former head of the POW and MIA Directorate Nitzan Alon claims that Israel could have released all hostages a year before the last agreement, without harming the war's outcome. He said this at a discussion at the Washington Institute. Bereaved families and hostage families held a press conference and called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry.
Former head of the POW and MIA Directorate, Nitzan Alon, said this evening (Friday) at a discussion at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy that the State of Israel could have brought about the release of all hostages a year before the last hostage agreement, without this affecting the war's outcome. According to him, we might have been able to save hostages who were killed, and we missed that opportunity. Last month, families of the bereaved and families of hostages from October 7 held a press conference on the responsibility of Israeli governments for the failure and the massacre. At the event, participants called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the failure. Natalia Kaseruti, whose son Keshet was murdered at the Nova party, played a recording of the call he had with Magen David Adom minutes before he was killed. Noam Peri, whose father Chaim was kidnapped to Gaza and murdered in Hamas captivity, confirmed in her remarks at the event the report that in the early days of the war, Israel received an offer to return all civilians kidnapped by Hamas. She said that in November and December 2023, she herself heard from various sources confirmation of this news, and that the State of Israel received the offer and did not even respond to it. "My father and dozens of other hostages could have returned to us alive," Peri added. In a document published by the families, it was written that the October 7 massacre was not an event stemming from a single decision or a point failure, but a result of long-term policy.