Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael SecurityThe former coordinator said that Netanyahu's government rejected 'comprehensive hostage deals' in the name of 'total victory,' only to have the war against Hamas forcibly end without achieving its objectives, following pressure from the Trump administrationShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribe03:19 PM • July 01 2026 IDTThe former head of the IDF's Hostages and Missing Persons Command said on Wednesday that after October 7, Israel "conducted a long war that could have ended at least a year earlier," adding that there were hostages held in Gaza that could have "been returned alive."CommentsIn the NewsLeader of Democrats' Boycott Over Gaza in 2024 Elections Meets ex-VP HarrisIDF Hostage Chief: Gaza Hostages Could Have 'Returned Alive,' but Gov't RefusedIsraeli Automotive Cybersecurity Firm PlaxidityX Shuts Down After $450M ExitBennett and Lapid Hoped to Force Eisenkot's Hand, but May Need Him to SurviveHaaretz Expands U.S. Presence With New Bureau Chief, Washington CorrespondentRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIAdvanced Israeli Systems Sold to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Documents and Images ShowIsrael 2026 Election Poll Tracker: The Latest ProjectionsA Collapsing Society: Israel Suffers National Mental Crisis Due to the WarFlagGate: How Israel Set Off a Storm by Hosting a Separatist Genocide DenierWhy Israelis Should Stop Being Afraid of Mamdani-backed Brad LanderSettlers Tried to Torch Palestinian Homes. They Messed With the Wrong Village