Brink: Inside the Race to Free the October 7th Hostages is a 2026 nonfiction book by Brett McGurk, who served as National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa under the Biden administration.https://apnews.com/article/brett-mcgurk-diplomat-hamas-israel-hostages-de40a4ee4579af3ae9222801b3c7eb44 The book describes McGurk's efforts to negotiate the release of hostages held by Hamas following the October 7 attacks.https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/09/israel-biden-gaza-hamas-netanyahu/688750/
The book describes an interaction between president Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu where Biden "nearly" cut off the US flow of arms to Israel.https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-09-28/ty-article/.premium/ex-biden-official-netanyahu-thought-u-s-would-cut-military-aid-during-gaza-war/000001a0-e8cf-dfbb-afa4-fbdfa4c10000
Reception Fintan O’Toole wrote a critical review of Brink in The New York Times, writing, "Although McGurk does not intend it as such, “Brink” becomes a grim case study of learned helplessness."
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