A former Israeli negotiator has claimed that Israel missed two key opportunities last year to secure a Gaza ceasefire and expedite hostage releases, drawing a swift rebuttal from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Saturday.
“In my view, we missed two opportunities to sign an agreement… in March and July,” said Oren Setter, who resigned from Israel’s negotiating team in October, in an interview with Channel 12.
“We did not do everything we could to bring them back as quickly as possible,” he added, referring to Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
Netanyahu has faced criticism from opposition figures and some hostage families, who accuse him of deliberately stalling negotiations—mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt—for political reasons. However, his office rejected Setter’s remarks, calling them entirely baseless.
“Had the prime minister not stood firm, at least half of the living hostages would not have been freed in the first phase,” the statement said.
It also blamed Hamas for delaying negotiations. “As repeatedly testified by senior US officials, Hamas refused to engage in negotiations for months and was the sole obstacle to a deal,” the statement read.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which began on January 19, is currently in its first 42-day phase, during which 19 Israeli captives have been freed in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian detainees.
A total of 33 Israeli hostages, including at least eight who have died, are expected to be released before this phase ends.
The second phase—yet to be negotiated—is set to focus on securing the release of the remaining captives and discussing a potential long-term resolution to the conflict.
Setter insisted his comments were based on facts and suggested that avoiding delays could have saved lives and prevented unnecessary suffering, while still holding Hamas primarily responsible for last year’s stalled negotiations.
