Former head of the IDF Hostages and Missing Persons Command, Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, said tonight that the 'absolute victory' slogans during the Gaza war were false and that Israel could have ended the war and returned all hostages about a year earlier without a significant difference in strategic achievement. Speaking at a Washington Institute conference, Alon also said PM Netanyahu's decision-making mixed strategic, ideological, political, and personal considerations, according to N12.
Former head of the IDF Hostages and Missing Persons Command, Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, said Friday evening at a Washington Institute forum that the 'absolute victory' slogans of the Gaza war were 'false' and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision-making mixed strategic, ideological, political, and personal considerations. Alon stated that Israel had the conditions to end the war and return all hostages 'much earlier, perhaps a year earlier' without a significant difference in strategic achievement. He specifically said the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement from last October could have been reached much sooner, and that some hostages who died in captivity 'could have come home alive.'
The Zioneer reported earlier at 22:00 Jerusalem that Alon had said Israel could have brought all hostages home about a year earlier and still achieved the same strategic outcomes, and that the opportunity to save hostages who died in captivity was missed. The current remarks add direct criticism of the 'absolute victory' framing and of the prime minister's decision-making process.
As The Zioneer reported on July 1, Alon had previously stated that the war in Gaza could have been concluded a year earlier. The fresh comments come against the backdrop of ongoing debate over the war's length and the failure to secure a hostage deal. As The Zioneer reported on June 29, PM Netanyahu dismissed a full withdrawal from the Strip in exchange for all hostages as an 'enormous defeat.'
No official response from the Prime Minister's Office to Alon's remarks was reported tonight.
2 developments
- DevelopingAnalysis: Nitzan Alon's hostage policy blamed for prolonging suffering, IDF deaths
- DevelopingReservist Maj. Gen. (ret.) Nitzan Alon says Gaza war could have ended a year earlier
- StrongEx-hostage command chief says Smotrich cannot claim credit for bringing back all captives
- DevelopingMinister Eliyahu blames outgoing general Alon for hostage deaths
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