Former US adviser blames Netanyahu's extra demands for six-month Gaza deal delay

Phil Gordon, a former senior US official who advised Vice President Kamala Harris, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of delaying a Gaza hostage-exchange and ceasefire by inserting a host of his own conditions, making an agreement impossible for six more months. Gordon highlighted that the added demands, which ran counter to Israeli security chiefs, included keeping forces along the entire Gaza-Egypt border and establishing a new screening mechanism for Palestinians returning north—both later removed from the January 2025 deal.

He claimed the delay resulted in almost 9,000 additional Palestinian deaths and further Israeli captive fatalities. Gordon also suggested that President Biden should have applied stronger pressure on Israel to alter its war conduct. His comments followed a Channel 12 interview with former military secretary Avi Gil, who alleged Netanyahu missed opportunities to rescue captives for political reasons. Netanyahu denied the accusations, labeling them politically motivated, while his Likud party dismissed the broader claims as propaganda.