{
  "id": 11617624,
  "title": "Gaza hostage deal could have been secured a year earlier, Israeli general says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/gaza-hostage-deal-could-have-been-secured-a-year-earlier-israeli",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-03T05:50:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/gaza-hostage-deal-could-have-been-secured-year-earlier-israeli-general"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Israeli Reserve Major General Nitzan Alon claims that Israeli hostages held in Gaza could have been freed a year prior to their actual release in late 2025. During a recent Washington Institute for Near East Policy event, the former government point person on hostage negotiations suggested that \"political and personal considerations\" hindered the process. Alon has repeatedly accused the government of intentionally delaying or obstructing hostage releases, often clashing publicly with ministers regarding responsibility for hostage deaths and the extended conflict in Gaza. He argues that all hostages might have been secured for release a year earlier, without affecting the war's outcome, and calls for new, \"realistic\" Israeli leadership to rectify the situation.",
  "summary": "Gaza hostage deal could have been secured a year earlier, Israeli general says Israeli Reserve Major General Nitzan Alon, the former government point person on hostage negotiations, has said Israeli hostages in Gaza could have been brought home up to a year earlier, before they were released in late 2025. “Political and personal considerations” got in the way, Alon said during a conversation…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Middle East Eye",
        "title": "Death, displacement and disease: A young Gaza doctor on life under Israeli bombardment",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/death-displacement-and-disease-a-young-gaza-doctor-on-life-under",
        "published": "2026-10-02T15:30:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Israeli air attack on Gaza City apartment kills at least five",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/israeli-air-attack-on-gaza-city-apartment-kills-at-least-five",
        "published": "2026-10-03T02:25:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}