World · Middle East · 12 hrs ago
Former US official says Israeli demands delayed Gaza deal by six months
Phil Gordon, a former US national security adviser to Kamala Harris, says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed a Gaza ceasefire and captive exchange deal in 2024.
Gordon says Netanyahu added conditions that made an agreement impossible for another six months.
He says nearly 9,000 more Palestinians were killed during that period and more Israeli captives died.
The conditions included keeping Israeli forces along Gaza’s border with Egypt and screening Palestinians returning to northern Gaza, Gordon says.
Both conditions were dropped from the deal reached in January 2025.
Gordon also said many of his former colleagues thought US President Joe Biden should have pressed Israel harder to change how it conducted the war and end it sooner.
Netanyahu denied separate allegations by his former military secretary Avi Gil, calling them an attempt to obscure his failure.
Phil Gordon, a former senior US official, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demands delayed a Gaza captive exchange and ceasefire deal in 2024.
Gordon said the added conditions made an agreement impossible for another six months.
He said nearly 9,000 more Palestinians were killed during the delay and more Israeli captives died.
The conditions included keeping Israeli forces along Gaza’s entire border with Egypt and screening Palestinians returning north, Gordon said.
Both conditions were dropped in the deal concluded in January 2025.
- Who
- Phil Gordon, a former national security adviser to Kamala Harris, made the allegations about Benjamin Netanyahu.
- What
- Gordon said Netanyahu’s demands delayed a Gaza captive exchange and ceasefire deal by six months.
- When
- Gordon made the allegations in a post on X on Saturday; the article was published on 11 October 2026.
- Where
- Gaza.
- Why
- Gordon said Netanyahu added conditions that prevented an agreement; he said nearly 9,000 more Palestinians were killed during the delay and more Israeli captives died.
Phil Gordon
Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud
Cause of delay
Phil Gordon
Gordon said Netanyahu added conditions that made a deal impossible for another six months.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud
Netanyahu denied the accusations made by Avi Gil, and Likud dismissed wider allegations as politically motivated propaganda.
Israeli demands
Phil Gordon
Gordon said Netanyahu’s demands included keeping forces along Gaza’s entire border with Egypt and screening Palestinians returning north.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud
The article does not report a specific response from Netanyahu or Likud to these two demands.
Netanyahu instead added so many of his own conditions - against the advice of his own security chiefs - that the deal became impossible for another six months
I would say most of my former colleagues think that President Biden should have put more pressure on Israel to conduct the war differently and end it sooner, and few think that the biggest mistake Biden made was to show daylight with Israel
We could have.
an attempt to obscure the simple and painful truth about his failure
Gordon said Netanyahu’s added conditions prevented a Gaza captive exchange and ceasefire deal from being reached.
A deal was concluded, and the two conditions Gordon identified were dropped.
Gordon posted his allegations on X.
- Gordon’s former role
- National security adviser to Kamala Harris from March 2022 to January 2025
- Delay alleged
- Another six months
- Palestinians killed during delay
- Nearly 9,000 more, according to Gordon
- Conditions later dropped
- Forces along Gaza’s entire border with Egypt; screening Palestinians returning north
- Deal concluded
- January 2025
Sources
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