Major General (Res.) Nitzan Alon, the outgoing head of the IDF's Hostages and Missing Persons Headquarters, launched a sharp attack on Israel's political leadership Wednesday at the Herzliya Conference at Reichman University, arguing that the cabinet rejected earlier and more comprehensive hostage deals in pursuit of what he called a false notion of total victory.
Speaking with journalist Udi Segal, Alon said that at various points in the war, when forums led by the prime minister faced a choice between a partial agreement and a broader one, the choice was consistently made in favor of partial deals that allowed the fighting to continue again and again. He acknowledged there was some logic to that approach, but said that strategically, managing the war for more than two years, until an American administration effectively forced its conclusion, was not the optimal path.
Alon, who reported for reserve duty when the October 7 massacre broke out and was appointed to head the hostages and missing persons command, said that despite the achievements of the war, or precisely because of the gaps that remained in Gaza, Israel fought a long war that could have ended at least a year earlier. He said the price paid for the war's extended length was especially heavy.
He stated plainly that when discussing the return of all the hostages, we need to remember that roughly 40 hostages who were abducted alive died in captivity, as he does. He said that in certain instances, different conduct, different decisions, or different negotiations might have brought them home alive.
Alon also addressed Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich directly, who opposed several agreements at various stages of the negotiations, saying he does not believe Smotrich can take credit for the return of all the hostages.
Alon recently announced the conclusion of his tenure as head of the hostages and missing command after more than two years in the role. Under his leadership, the command focused on intelligence gathering and research, supporting negotiations, leading and executing special operations, and maintaining ongoing contact with hostage families.
The Religious Zionism party issued a sharp response to Alon's remarks. In a statement, the party said that throughout two years of war, Alon pushed for total surrender to Hamas, and that had his position been accepted, Hamas would today be back in control along the border communities' fence, with international guarantees for rebuilding the Strip without disarmament.
The party said that through hard work and heavy sacrifice, Israel brought home all the hostages, living and fallen alike, without surrendering to Hamas, and that Israel today controls seventy percent of the Gaza Strip while Hamas is confined to a dense pocket of territory under international guarantees for its complete dismantlement. The statement concluded by saying it was fortunate Israel did not surrender to Alon and what it called his irresponsible campaign calling on Israel to capitulate to a terror organization, which it said would have only increased the incentive to kidnap Jews as a tool to subdue the state.
The exchange reflects strategic disagreements that emerged within Israel's security leadership during the war over Gaza and the use of military force in the Strip. Netanyahu had pushed for a siege of Gaza, telling a security discussion at the time that everyone present knew that if not for the hostages, everyone would favor flattening Gaza, adding that a siege was necessary and betting his entire reputation that it would succeed.
