# Analysis: Could Gaza hostages have come home a year earlier?

https://mins.news/en/video/84259

- Al Jazeera English, 2026-10-03 00:30 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FWIvbAXNdo

> Jennifer Gavito, a former acting senior State Department official for Near Eastern Affairs and a senior adviser at the Cohen Group, responds to comments by Reserve Major General Nitzan Alon, the former head of Israel’s hostage headquarters. Alon said Israeli captives in Gaza could have been freed up to a year earlier, potentially saving thousands of lives on both sides. Gavito said the claim renews debate over whether Israel put defeating Hamas ahead of securing the hostages’ release.

## 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

## Related coverage

- [Israel could have ended Gaza war and freed captives sooner, ex-negotiator says](https://mins.news/en/item/84160) — Al Jazeera, 2026-10-02
- [Israeli general: Gaza captives could have been freed a year earlier](https://mins.news/en/item/84134) — Al Jazeera, 2026-10-02
- [Israel’s ‘total victory’ goal in Gaza is unattainable, says Alon Pinkas](https://mins.news/en/video/81784) — Al Jazeera English, 2026-10-01