IDF shuts down Hostages HQ after two years, return of Ran Gvili
After the return of the last Israeli hostage, Ran Gvili, the IDF announced it will shut down its special Hostages and Missing Persons Headquarters after over two years of operation.
The unit operated under the Military Intelligence Directorate, coordinating all available intelligence on the hostages.
“The scenario in which everyone returned is beyond all imagination; we did not assess that we would reach this situation,” a senior officer in the unit told Israeli media outlets.
“Each such case was thoroughly investigated; there were different types of errors, and therefore there were several cases of harm to hostages,” he added.
Around 2,100 soldiers served in the unit, including some 60% who were reservists, most of them being drawn from the Intelligence Directorate’s Special Operations Division, among various other units.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
