Ex-Biden Official Accuses Netanyahu of Derailing Hostage Deal

A former Biden administration official, Phil Gordon, on Saturday rejected claims by supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a new book by Brett McGurk justifies Netanyahu's war strategy in Gaza. Gordon stated that most of his former colleagues believed President Biden should have pressured Israel more to manage the war differently and end it sooner. He argued that McGurk's account showed that securing the release of hostages was not Netanyahu's top priority and that U.S. pressure could have been effective if applied.

Gordon cited McGurk's book, which he said omitted a crucial July 4, 2024, phone call where Biden urged Netanyahu to finalize a hostage deal after Hamas had reportedly agreed to its general framework. According to Gordon, Hamas had dropped its demand for a permanent ceasefire before any hostage release. However, Gordon alleged that Netanyahu then introduced additional conditions, against the advice of his security chiefs, which stalled the agreement for another six months.

During this period, Gordon noted, approximately 9,000 additional Palestinians were killed, and more Israeli hostages died, including six executed by Hamas in August. He pointed to Israeli demands, such as maintaining forces along Gaza's entire border with Egypt and a new mechanism to vet Gazans returning to their homes in the north, which required Israeli troops in central Gaza. Gordon emphasized that both these conditions were eventually dropped from the agreement reached in January 2025.