Just before handing over power: Gallant says there is no reason to stay in the Philadelphi Corridor

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met today (Thursday) with families of the hostages and criticized the rationale for staying in the Philadelphia Corridor as an excuse to prevent a hostage deal: "I can tell you what wasn't there - there was no security consideration," Channel 12 welfare reporter Michal Pe'ilan revealed.

At the start of the meeting, the hostages' families thanked Gallant for prioritizing the issue and tried to understand what opportunities were missed in July.

Gallant explained that in July, he held a minority opinion, representing the entire defense establishment, and that they all believed a deal should be advanced: "I can tell you what wasn't there - there was no security consideration. The IDF Chief of Staff and I said there's no security justification for staying in the Philadelphia Corridor. Netanyahu says it's a political consideration; I'm telling you there isn't even a political consideration. This can and must be resolved."

When asked why a deal isn't being advanced, Gallant responded: "There's nothing left to do in Gaza, we've already achieved the major objectives."

When further questioned about why forces remain there, Gallant replied: "I'm concerned we're staying there out of a desire to maintain control over the territory, supposedly as a condition for security. To me, this feels like an unworthy cause to risk soldiers' lives for."

Finally, when asked if he's optimistic about a deal, Gallant answered: "I am not optimistic."

Maariv contributed to this article.