Israel could have made hostage deal sooner, former negotiator says

Israel's former lead hostage negotiator, retired army general Nitzan Alon, says the October 2025 agreement with Hamas — a swap freeing 20 Israeli hostages for nearly 2,000 Palestinians — could have happened about a year sooner without harming Israel's other war goals. He spoke on a Washington Institute online talk marking three years since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.