Could Gaza hostages come home a year earlier: Analysis

Jennifer Gavito, a former acting principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs and senior advisor at the Cohen Group, responds to comments from Reserve Major General Nitzan Alon, the former head of Israel's hostage headquarters, who said Israeli captives in Gaza could have been brought home up to a year earlier, potentially saving thousands of lives on both sides.

Gavito says the claim reignites debate over whether Israel prioritised defeating Hamas over securing hostages' return, but is sceptical the thesis can be proven, given how difficult and opaque ceasefire negotiations tend to be.

She notes the Biden administration was broadly supportive of Israel after October 7, though former Secretary of State Antony Blinken later suggested by May 2024 that Washington had concerns Israel's operational objectives had largely been met before a mediation deal was offered.

Asked about the current administration, Gavito says Trump has shown an unusual willingness to push back on Netanyahu's government, citing pressure over Lebanon, the Gaza ceasefire and an Iran ceasefire that later collapsed, while largely staying out of Israel's domestic politics ahead of its upcoming election.

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