'An insane reality': Eisenkot accuses Netanyahu of blocking hostage deal despite unanimous support

Former IDF chief of staff and Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to advance a hostage release agreement despite presenting a proposal that received unanimous support in the War Cabinet, during an interview Wednesday on 103FM.

Eisenkot, who served on the War Cabinet from its establishment on October 11, 2023, until June 9, 2024, described behind-the-scenes discussions over hostage negotiations, military operations in Gaza, and plans to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"There are two main alternatives today. One option, which I still believe is preferable, is to pursue a hostage deal based on Netanyahu's May 27 proposal, from a position of strength in both the south and the north," Eisenkot said in the recording.

He argued that Israel should continue targeting Hezbollah while pursuing arrangements in Gaza that could help establish conditions for the safe return of northern residents.

"A settlement in the south that would lead to a firm arrangement in the north, enabling communities to return, pushing Hezbollah back, changing UNIFIL's mandate, deploying the Lebanese army, and doubling IDF force levels along the border," he said.

Responding to the recording, Eisenkot said the proposal he had supported was originally presented by Netanyahu on May 27, 2024, and that the episode ultimately contributed to his decision to leave the War Cabinet.

"He brought us a framework for returning the hostages. He asked me first, 'What do you say, Gadi?'"

Eisenkot said he told Netanyahu that although the proposal would be difficult for Israel to accept, he supported it because it could secure the release of the hostages.

"I told him, 'Listen, this is a very difficult framework for us, but I recommend accepting the framework you are proposing, and I support you, even though it would mean stopping the war for 84 days, in order to bring back all the hostages and allow freedom of action in Gaza.'"

According to Eisenkot, all five War Cabinet members supported the proposal when Netanyahu called for a formal vote.

"After he asked everyone, they all supported it, all five. He said, 'This time I demand a vote.' Everyone raised their hands, and he raised his hand first."

Eisenkot claimed that despite the unanimous vote, Netanyahu's political supporters began publicly opposing the proposal just two days later.

"Two days later, all his mouthpieces, in my opinion including on your program, Yinon, came out against the framework that he himself brought to a vote, demanded support for, and raised his hand in favor of," Eisenkot said.

He sharply criticized Netanyahu's conduct, claiming that the prime minister had acted inconsistently.

"This is an insane reality. You realize you are sitting with someone who is unbalanced, unfit," Eisenkot said.

Caspit responded by emphasizing that the proposal had originated with Netanyahu.

"People don't understand that this was Netanyahu's framework. What is there not to understand?" he said.

According to Eisenkot, the operation had been developed over the preceding decade in cooperation with the Mossad, and he repeatedly encouraged Netanyahu to authorize it.

"After three months, I told him, 'Over the past decade, we prepared a plan together with the Mossad. I briefed you on it a hundred times. Activate it,'" Eisenkot recalled.

"He doesn't want to. He's afraid."

Eisenkot argued that military pressure against Hezbollah could have been combined with progress toward a hostage agreement in Gaza to create conditions for a diplomatic arrangement in the north.

"You understand that we dealt them a blow, there are the hostages, and we need to advance an arrangement. In the end, what is happening today? They are advancing an arrangement," he said.

Eisenkot also criticized Netanyahu's approach to ground operations against Hezbollah, arguing that opportunities for military action had not been fully pursued.

"Hezbollah still has 90% of its fighting force," Eisenkot said.

He referred to military achievements in the area of Ali al-Taher, where he said he had previously fought as a company commander, stressing his familiarity with the terrain.

"There are noteworthy achievements in Ali al-Taher, which I captured as a company commander, and in those areas that I know extremely well," he said.

"I pushed him to act there. He didn't want to act. He didn't want to maneuver."

Eisenkot also addressed disagreements within the government over IDF ground operations in Gaza.

He claimed that senior Likud ministers had strongly opposed ground operations in Gaza.

"Likud ministers were fiercely opposed. They would have voted against it," he said.

"Check it. Ask to know who voted in favor of taking over the Gaza Strip and who opposed it. There are very senior Likud ministers there."

In May 2024, a proposal was advanced for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

Under the framework, the first two stages were intended to secure the return of hostages alongside an Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

A third stage would have involved exchanging the bodies and remains of those killed on both sides, following identification procedures.

The proposal also included a five-year reconstruction plan for Gaza, covering housing, public buildings, and infrastructure.

Hamas was required to agree that the Palestinian side would refrain from rebuilding military structures and infrastructure, and would not import equipment, raw materials, or other supplies intended for military purposes.

The agreement ultimately collapsed.

A new agreement was subsequently signed in October 2025, providing for a cessation of hostilities and the return of all living and deceased hostages.

The agreement formed the first stage of US President Donald Trump's multi-point plan, which has not advanced beyond that initial stage.