Ex-Biden official says Netanyahu prolonged war by blocking hostage deal

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, October 11, 2026

Former Biden official Phil Gordon disputed claims by Netanyahu supporters that U.S. envoy Brett McGurk’s recent book justifies the Israeli prime minister’s handling of the Gaza war, arguing that it reveals Netanyahu’s reluctance to prioritize hostage negotiations and excessive delays harmful to both Palestinians and Israelis. Gordon emphasized that many in Washington believe the Biden administration should have applied stronger pressure on Israel to alter its military approach, as Netanyahu’s pursuit of total victory came at a high human cost and stalled efforts to end the conflict.

A former Biden administration official has challenged claims by supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a recently published account by U.S. envoy Brett McGurk justifies Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza. Phil Gordon, who served in the Biden administration, said the narrative put forth by Netanyahu’s allies does not reflect the broader view within Washington.

Gordon posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, cautioning against interpreting McGurk’s first-hand perspective as definitive or representative of the entire U.S. administration’s stance. While acknowledging the value of McGurk’s detailed account, Gordon said many of his former colleagues believe President Joe Biden should have exerted greater pressure on Israel to modify its approach to the conflict and bring it to a swifter conclusion. He rejected the claim that Biden’s key error was creating visible differences with Israel in public.

Central to Gordon’s critique was McGurk’s portrayal of efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. Gordon argued that the book itself illustrated how hostage negotiations were not prioritized by Netanyahu. He contended that when the U.S. did apply diplomatic pressure, tangible results followed, citing a phone call from Biden to Netanyahu after an attack on a humanitarian group, the World Central Kitchen, as one instance where pressure appeared effective.

Gordon also highlighted what he described as a significant omission from McGurk’s account: a July 4, 2024, phone call during which Biden urged Netanyahu to finalize a hostage exchange deal. Gordon claimed that by that time, Hamas had agreed to a basic framework for the release of hostages, notably dropping a demand for a permanent ceasefire as a precondition. However, Netanyahu allegedly introduced new demands against the advice of his security chiefs, stalling negotiations for an additional six months.

According to Gordon, in the intervening period, nearly 9,000 more Palestinians were killed, and some Israeli hostages lost their lives, including six executed by Hamas in August. Among the Israeli changes included demands for a continued military presence along Gaza’s border with Egypt and the creation of enforcement mechanisms to control the movement of Gazans returning to northern Gaza—measures Gordon said were ultimately abandoned in the final agreement reached in January 2025.

Beyond the hostage issue, Gordon criticized Netanyahu’s overall conduct of the Gaza war, emphasizing that nothing in McGurk’s account alters the fact that the October 7 militant attacks occurred during Netanyahu’s tenure. He accused the Israeli prime minister of prioritizing “total victory” in the conflict and political survival over the welfare of hostages and ending hostilities.

Gordon maintained that the U.S. should have done more to influence Israel’s military strategy rather than simply enable it, concluding that “there was never an easy way forward in Gaza,” but no version of events exonerates Netanyahu’s leadership.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.