The Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and the head of the Prisoners and Missing Persons Command, Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, agreed this evening (Sunday) to end Alon's assignment, at his request, after about two years in the role and following months of intensive work throughout the war.
Alon reported for reserve duty immediately at the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war and was appointed by the Chief of Staff to lead the command, which guided efforts to recover the hostages.
Among the command's areas of activity were intelligence collection, support for negotiations, execution of special operations, and direct contact with the families of the hostages.
An IDF spokesman's statement said that the Chief of Staff expressed deep appreciation for Alon's work, "He thanked him for stepping up to the important national mission, for his unique contribution to the IDF during the war, for his dedication and for his decisive contribution to the effort to preserve the lives of the hostages, rescuing those still alive and for recovering the fallen for burial."
It was reported that the command will continue to operate in its current configuration, under the command of the operations commander, who has served there since its establishment, and in cooperation with the prisoners and missing persons coordinator on behalf of Israel's political leadership, Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsh.
The Chief of Staff further clarified, "The return of the hostages is a supreme mission and a moral duty. As long as there are bodies in Gaza - the mission is not complete."
In a letter to the personnel of the Prisoners and Missing Persons Command ahead of the end of his assignment, Alon wrote, "We were faced with the challenge of clarifying the fate of the hostages, identifying the burial sites of the fallen and the places of captivity of the living hostages."
He added, "As human beings we also made mistakes, at times of grave consequence. We ensured we investigated the truth, learned from the mistakes, improved and adapted our actions to the changing reality."