IDF’s top negotiator to politicians: Hamas may become even more violent toward hostages if Gaza op intensifies

Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, the IDF’s point man in the hostage negotiations, warned the political echelon that intensified IDF operations in Gaza could provoke Hamas to take out its frustrations on the hostages, who are already being held under difficult and worsening conditions, Channel 12 reports.

Alon reportedly criticized the government’s handling of the war and reaffirmed public concerns about the decision to expand operations in the Strip.

He cautioned that the harder the IDF strikes, the more violent the terrorists may become toward the hostages still held in captivity.

Alon’s comments come after the security cabinet approved a plan to significantly broaden the military offensive against Hamas, with the IDF calling up tens of thousands of reservists for duty.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that the military will stay stationed in any areas of the Gaza Strip captured until all the goals of the war are achieved. Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 59 hostages, including 58 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF.