We knew. The families knew and the protest movement knew.
As early as December 2023, the Israeli government stopped a hostages deal, because the sadists of Hamas refused to return more female hostages. It still agreed to free the elderly kibbutz men, most of whom were later murdered. Netanyahu was far more interested in “educating” Hamas (his term) by escalating the Gaza war to the tune of Ben Gvir and Strook. Annihilating Gaza was far more attractive to them than saving innocent lives. As one elderly hostage told a fellow hostage, “We are kibbutzniks. This government will not get us home.” She was eventually released, he was murdered.
As to the oh-so-fortunate hostages released alive in later deals, they owe their freedom to Donald Trump, and probably Miriam Edelson. We know that too.
Read the testimony of an IDF general who steered the hostage deals - the early ones, the aborted ones, the needlessly late and the far too late ones.
ראש מפקדת החטופים לשעבר, האלוף במילואים ניצן אלון בכנס במכון וושינגטון: היינו יכולים להגיע לשחרור של כל החטופים שנה לפני שזה קרה מבלי שתהיה לזה השפעה על תוצאות המלחמה. יתכן שהיינו יכולים להציל כך חטופים שנהרגו והחמצנו הזדמנות זאת. המלחמה היתה ארוכה מדי