Earlier hostage deal claims Kan's disputed retrospective

Oct 5

Gili Cohen reviews hostage contacts and the November 2023, January 2025 and October 2025 agreements, saying nearly all negotiators she describes believe some captives could have returned earlier. She reports mismatched Israeli and Hamas readiness, ideological, political and personal considerations alleged by a senior negotiator, and a cabinet-secretary denial of the earlier-release claim. She expressly says there was no document Hamas approved that Israel rejected outright; the May 2024 Biden proposal later appeared as an appendix to the January 2025 agreement. An excerpt of Seven Questions in October includes Nitzan Alon's view that similar military aims could have been achieved earlier and some captives saved alive, and Gallant's statement that a deal was possible eight or nine months before Trump's eventual intervention. The complete unit also includes Eli Groner's distinct claim that deliberate weakening of the public sector damaged the post-attack response: he explicitly assigns blame for October 8, not October 7. These retrospective judgements are attributed; original interview dates are not supplied.

Kan airs Cohen's retrospective and Seven Questions in October excerpts alleging opportunities for earlier hostage release. Alon and Gallant say earlier deals were possible; Cohen cites negotiators and political/ideological considerations, while reporting the cabinet secretary's denial. She expressly says there was no Hamas-approved document Israel rejected outright. This is the current published investigative account and its disputed conclusions, not a newly accepted deal or a verified original interview date.