Government Secretary Denies Early Hostage Release Was Possible Without Concessions

Yossi Fuchs, the Secretary to the Government, on Monday evening pushed back against claims that all hostages could have been returned earlier in the war. Fuchs stated that he found it "very jarring" to hear assertions from senior security officials, who were present in the limited negotiation discussions since October 7, suggesting that a fuller hostage release was feasible at an earlier stage.

According to Fuchs, these officials "know very well" that any earlier possibility of returning all hostages was contingent upon a "complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip, including from the Philadelphi Corridor, with international guarantees not to return to war." He argued that such a move would have constituted "a victory for Hamas and a defeat for Israel after the October 7 massacre."

Fuchs presented the campaign's outcomes as having met Israel's objectives. He credited the Prime Minister's "correct management of the campaign" for Israel establishing a "deep security zone in Gaza, with dozens of outposts in enemy territory, including the Philadelphi Corridor." He added that "living hostages returned home and the fallen were brought for burial," and that the Gaza border communities have resumed cultivating their fields, "with IDF outposts behind the fence instead of Hamas tunnels."

The issue of the Philadelphi Corridor was a central point of contention in the Israeli debate surrounding the hostage deal from early in the war, with the IDF's continued presence there presented as a key sticking point in negotiations.