Israeli media reported part of what was included in the meeting of the dismissed Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, with the families of the Israeli prisoners held in the Gaza Strip, where he confirmed to them that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want to complete a deal to return them.

According to a number of these outlets, Galant referred to Netanyahu's role as the final decision-maker in the prisoners' file, blaming him for obstructing the reaching of an exchange agreement with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

Channel 13's social affairs correspondent Maya Eden reported that Galant embraced the families and assured them that they had done everything they could, but that the matter was still in Netanyahu's hands alone, adding that Netanyahu was the only one who could be addressed as a decision-maker, while the others in the government were considered "marginal officials."

Galant pointed out that Israel was able to complete the "Netanyahu-Biden" deal last July after exhausting the military objectives in Gaza, but Netanyahu obstructed that and then presented a proposal that he knew would not meet Hamas's conditions, and this matter hindered the deal.

For her part, Channel 12 health affairs correspondent Yolan Cohen confirmed that Galant had been meeting weekly with the families of the prisoners for more than a year, and he always told them that losing these prisoners would be a disgrace to Israel.

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Or Heller, Channel 13's military affairs correspondent, warned of the danger of prisoners dying in the tunnels due to their difficult conditions of lack of food and air, and stressed that Galant may be remembered as the only defense minister in the government who seriously sought to support a deal to return the prisoners after the government's "serious failures."

Gallant is not optimistic.

Sharon Sharabi, the brother of two prisoners - one of whom was killed - in Gaza, pointed out that Galant had always insisted that the time had come to return the prisoners, but despite that, the expected return did not happen, in light of the failure of attempts to achieve the desired goal.

While Aviv Bushinsky, Netanyahu's former media adviser, confirmed that Galant directly told the families that Netanyahu does not want a deal, and that he is not optimistic about the return of the prisoners.

Oded Ben-Ami, a political presenter on Channel 12, said the current situation was a shock to families who did not expect their sons to remain detained for so long in Gaza, noting that they faced pressure and abuse from the authorities in their quest to recover their sons.

Opposition leader in the Knesset, Yair Lapid, added in a statement to Channel 12 that it is necessary not to turn the families into enemies of the ruling coalition, and stressed the importance of reminding Israelis of the importance of the return of prisoners as part of the recovery of society.

In another context, Yedioth Ahronoth analyst Avi Issacharoff stressed the "danger of Hamas's strategy, which is based on exhausting Israel through guerrilla warfare," noting that it will continue fighting even after the army withdraws from some areas in the northern Gaza Strip.

While Dr. Einat Wilf, a former member of the Knesset, stressed the political and military failure in managing the prisoners’ file, pointing out that Hamas has continued its demands since the events of October 8 without change, and has not achieved any progress in this file.