# Israel could have ended Gaza war and freed captives sooner, ex-negotiator says

https://mins.news/en/item/84160

- Al Jazeera, 2026-10-02 21:53 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/2/israel-couldve-ended-gaza-war-freed-captives-sooner-israel-ex-negotiator?traffic_source=rss

> Retired Israeli Major General Nitzan Alon, who handled hostage negotiations early in the Gaza war, says a deal to return all Israeli captives could have been reached much earlier than October 2025. He called the war unnecessarily prolonged and rejected Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that Israel needed “total victory” before agreeing to a deal, saying an earlier agreement might have saved thousands of lives on both sides.

## Stories

- [Gaza War and Humanitarian Crisis](https://mins.news/en/topic/gaza-war-humanitarian-crisis) — Markdown: https://mins.news/en/topic/gaza-war-humanitarian-crisis.md

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- [Analysis: Could Gaza hostages have come home a year earlier?](https://mins.news/en/video/84259) — Al Jazeera English, 2026-10-03