Israeli chief of staff admits returning captives 'difficult' without deal

Israel’s military chief of staff Herzi Halevi admitted on Saturday that it is becoming increasingly difficult to return Israeli captives held in Gaza without a ceasefire agreement.

He stressed that the efforts to bring them back are becoming more complicated as time goes on.

A meeting with the families of the captives and Halevi was described by the Israeli Channel 12 as "stormy", after he confessed that bringing back the captives is becoming complex.

Halevi said that the Israeli army is facing challenges in collecting intelligence on the captives, emphasizing that "unless an agreement is reached with Hamas regarding hostages, we will do our utmost to return as many of them as possible."

Halevi said he has expressed his opinions to decision makers in government as well.

When quizzed by the captives’ families on when the war would end, he said he does not know and that the "Israeli army is not close to achieving this."

According to Channel 12, the families expressed their concerns that they are afraid that ongoing assaults on Gaza could cause the deaths of the captives.

They said they were worried that the captives would be returned dead, referencing the six Israelis who were recently found dead in Gaza.

"Military pressure is killing the hostages. We are afraid that the remaining live hostages will return dead. We are not ready for the IDF to approach where our children are being held," one family member said in the meeting.

Anger erupted in Israel earlier this month after the Israeli military announced they had found the bodies of the six Israelis in Rafah, with families of the captives blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to reach a ceasefire deal.

"You are putting my son at risk. If it is possible to get him out in a deal, then he should be protected. We are not interested in a rescue operation. We do not want another situation where soldiers end up dead like Arnon Zamora," one parent told Halevi, according to Jerusalem Post.

Members of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum are planning to stage more weekly protests over Israel’s handling of the war and efforts to bring back captives.

Anger and frustration are surging in Israeli society with many blaming the government for the deaths of the captives.

Meanwhile, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 41,206 Palestinians and wounded at least 95,000 others.

The war on the enclave has plunged it into a deep humanitarian crisis, levelling entire neighbourhoods and stripping it of essential resources, including food, water and medical facilities.