The Gaza Peace Deal: Behind the Scenes with Aimen Dean

17 snips

Oct 15, 2025

Aimen Dean, a former intelligence and counterterrorism operative, returns to discuss the recent Gaza peace deal. He reveals the behind-the-scenes diplomacy involving Saudi Arabia and France, aimed at preventing Israel's West Bank annexation. Aimen analyzes Israel's military actions and the implications of a controversial airstrike in Doha. The conversation covers nuclear concerns with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the future of Hamas, and the vital role of technocratic governance in Gaza's reconstruction. It's a deep dive into a ceasefire that may just be a temporary pause in ongoing tensions.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Why Saudi And France Pushed Recognition

Saudi and French pushes to recognise a Palestinian state aimed to deter Israeli annexation of Area C and constrain hardline ministers.
The diplomatic pressure sought to preserve a contiguous 1967-based Palestinian claim and block fragmentation of the West Bank.

INSIGHT

Gaza: Destruction Without Complete Defeat

The IDF demonstrated destructive capability but has not conclusively finished Hamas as an insurgency.
Hidden tunnel networks and militants blending with civilians limited Israeli operational success.

ANECDOTE

Doha Strike Targeted Second‑Tier Leaders

Aimen describes the Doha strike hitting second-tier Hamas leaders while first-tier leaders avoided the meeting.
He stresses mediators expect and deserve security guarantees that the strike violated.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

This week on Conflicted, Thomas Small is joined by co-host Aimen Dean, who returns to the show to provide a vital debrief on the recent Gaza peace deal. The episode focuses on the fragile ceasefire deal brokered by President Trump, which has brought a temporary halt to hostilities between Israel and Hamas. Aimen is back with his signature, deeply informed analysis, answer your and Thomas’ questions to get beyond the narrative we normally hear about the conflict…

Thomas and Aimen unpack the hidden diplomatic maneuvers behind the deal, including the motivations of key players like Saudi Arabia and France, whose diplomatic efforts set the stage for peace talks by applying intense pressure on the Israeli government. Aimen shares his explosive, albeit speculative, intel on the Israeli airstrike on Doha in September and its profound consequences, including the potential for Saudi Arabia to acquire nuclear weapons as a deterrent. The conversation also delves into the military realities on the ground in Gaza, assessing the successes and failures of the IDF's campaign and the prospects for Hamas's future. The episode offers a sobering look at a peace deal that, while celebrated as a triumph, may be little more than a temporary ceasefire in a region still teetering on the brink.

Want more of Thomas and Aimen? Then you’ll need to subscribe to the Conflicted Community. And don’t forget, subscribers can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more.

All the information you need to sign up is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/

Conflicted is proudly made by Message Heard, a full-stack podcast production agency which uses its extensive expertise to make its own shows such as Conflicted, shows for commissioners such as the BBC, Spotify and Al Jazeera, and powerfully effective podcasts for other companies too. If you’d like to find out how we can help get your organisation’s message heard, visit messageheard.com or drop an email to hello@messageheard.com!

Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted

And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices