Former IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi reportedly proposed a ceasefire deal that would have released all hostages in Gaza in exchange for total Hamas control over Gaza, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused, Israeli public broadcaster KAN News reported on Friday evening.
Sources told KAN that Halevi had tried to push for a one-time deal to end the war and free the hostages before the ground invasion of Rafah.
IDF officers from the Operations Directorate and the Strategic Directorate presented a range of scenarios to the security cabinet, demonstrating how Hamas could be defeated following a ceasefire deal.
At the time, IDF assessments indicated that it would be easier to defeat Hamas once the hostages were removed from Gaza.
Netanyahu rejected Halevi's unilateral ceasefire idea
However, Netanyahu and other cabinet members reportedly rejected the idea and said it indicated "defeat" for Israel.
Officials familiar with the discussions told KAN that the plan was shelved so quickly that it was never even brought to the Israeli negotiating team in Qatar.
Instead, Netanyahu decided to move forward with a multi-stage agreement that allowed the hostages to be released in phases. The deal was implemented, but never reached the second stage, under which all of the remaining living hostages would be released.
Friday marked 700 days since the October 7 Hamas attacks and abduction of the hostages.
On Friday the IDF conducted strikes in Gaza City, the start of a large new invasion of the city. This operation aims to destroy Hamas infrastructure, weaken the terrorist group of power, and bring about an end to the grueling war efforts.
Negotiations are once again underway, with US President Donald Trump saying that Hamas is in "very deep" in the process of working out a new hostage and ceasefire deal.