Gal Hirsch reveals: Hostage rescue missions were halted to avoid endangering captives

Former hostage chief: Rescue missions called off to avoid risking captives

Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch detailed canceled missions, Qatar’s role and Hamas strategy in interview. By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, Israel’s former coordinator for hostages and missing persons, revealed new details about canceled rescue operations, Qatar’s role in negotiations and Hamas’ plan to hold captives for up to a decade in a Friday interview with Israel Hayom’s digital platform. Prime Minister Benja…

Gal Hirsch reveals: Hostage rescue missions were halted to avoid endangering captives

The Hostages and Missing Persons Coordinator, in an interview with i24NEWS, claims that hostage deals were delayed due to politics. "There were no political considerations in decision-making in our field."

“Can you handle this?” Benjamin Netanyahu asked Gal Hirsch

The date was the morning of October 8, 2023. Hirsch, a former Brigadier General, had just recovered from cancer. “This” was the most difficult mission ever assigned in public service: bringing home an unprecedented number of hostages and missing persons—numbers that were not yet known at the time. In fact, Hirsch did not state the number publicly until the end of November, so as not to give Hamas the opportunity to claim that hostages were merel…