A Hebrew channel revealed protocols from secret meetings held by the political and security leadership in Israel during the last ceasefire deal in Gaza, proving that there was a possibility to release all prisoners and stop the war, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deliberately rejected that, according to sources. Channel 13 explained that security institution leaders believed that reaching a comprehensive deal was possible, and that resuming the war was an option on the table, but Netanyahu intentionally obstructed that.

It pointed out that the Israeli leadership miscalculated that pressure on Hamas regarding humanitarian issues would lead to its surrender, and that Israel's behavior in delivering aid to Gaza harmed its international standing without affecting Hamas. The protocol discussed the first meeting on March 1, 2025, days after the martyrdom of Palestinian prisoners, where there was hesitation about moving to the second phase of the deal, which concerns discussing the terms for ending the war and releasing more prisoners.

In the meeting, Major General Nitzan Alon, responsible for the prisoners' file, stated that the only opportunity to release the captives lies in negotiating the terms of the second phase, but Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer responded that he was not prepared to end the war while Hamas was still in power, expressing his belief that matters would escalate once negotiations began. The head of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) at the time, Ronen Bar, clarified that the preferred option was to reach the second phase, with the possibility of returning to fighting if necessary.

Tel Aviv estimates that there are about 50 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, of whom 20 are alive, while more than 10,000 Palestinians are imprisoned under occupation, suffering from torture, starvation, and medical neglect, leading to the deaths of many of them. Sources confirmed that Israel categorically refused to negotiate the second phase, despite the existence of options to save the prisoners, and instead continued military escalation against Gaza, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians, including children and women, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands.

In their comments on the channel's report, families of Israeli prisoners stated that what was mentioned proves that the government was capable of reaching a comprehensive deal, but deliberately aborted it to maintain its hold on power, especially with the rising internal and external pressures. They confirmed that dozens of their relatives were captured alive, but were killed while waiting for a deal that the government had no intention of implementing, and that since the end of the previous deal, 50 Israeli soldiers have fallen, with none of the captives being returned.

Palestinian and Israeli reports confirm that Hamas is ready to release the Israeli prisoners all at once in exchange for ending the war, halting the aggression, and returning the Palestinian prisoners. However, Netanyahu insists on implementing partial deals, fearing the collapse of his government, especially with the escalation of the Israeli war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of martyrs and injured, widespread destruction, and an increase in the number of missing and displaced persons.