An official announcement by the Prime Minister’s Office regarding yesterday's prisoner exchange deal states that the government’s appointee for negotiations on the MIAs, Mr. Ofer Dekel, knew for months before yesterday’s Cabinet meeting that both captured IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were dead.

The government announcement praises the “amazing work” done with “persistence and determination” by Dekel, noting he reached the conclusion that the soldiers were dead “months ago” and was the impetus to start the IDF Chief Military Rabbinate have them declared dead.