Minister Amichai Eliyahu Blames Former POW Commander Nitzan Alon for Kidnappings and Deaths in Gaza Conflict

On the 1,000th day of the ongoing war, Israeli Minister Amichai Eliyahu accused Major General (res.) Nitzan Alon, former head of the IDF’s Prisoners and Missing Persons Command, of responsibility for the kidnapping and killing of Israeli citizens. Eliyahu claimed that Alon’s approach and concept led to failures that allowed Hamas militants to abduct and murder people. He argued that if Israel had withdrawn earlier as Alon allegedly advocated, Hamas would have controlled 70% of the Gaza Strip, resulting in even more civilian deaths.

Eliyahu, a member of the Otzma Yehudit party, reiterated his criticism despite Alon having retired from the IDF in 2019. He blamed the Oslo Accords and the disengagement plan for enabling the current crisis, stating that the leadership behind these policies bears responsibility for the ongoing bloodshed.

The controversy escalated after Alon spoke at the Herzliya Conference, where he criticized the political leadership for refusing prisoner exchange deals under the false premise of achieving total victory. Alon also refuted claims by Minister Bezalel Smotrich that all hostages were returned thanks to him, stating that about 40 hostages who were alive when captured died in captivity and could have been saved.

In response, Gadi Eizenkot, former IDF Chief of Staff and current chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, sharply condemned Eliyahu’s accusations. Eizenkot called Alon a hero who fought for the hostages’ lives and was instrumental in their rescue, contrasting him with Eliyahu and his party, who opposed prisoner exchange deals. Eizenkot accused Eliyahu of lying and defaming a man who was not even in office at the outbreak of the war but immediately stepped up to assist.

Eizenkot also criticized the broader political leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several ministers, for their handling of the crisis since October 7, labeling it a historic failure. The dispute highlights deep divisions within Israel’s political and military leadership over accountability for the ongoing conflict and the fate of kidnapped Israelis.