The Israeli Right’s Plan to Carve Up Gaza

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Oct 28, 2025

Amit Segal, Chief political analyst for Channel 12 News in Israel and author of 'A Call at 4 a.m.,' examines the complexities surrounding Gaza and Israeli politics. He believes the ceasefire is merely a pause, with Israel unlikely to withdraw completely. Discussing a divided Gaza, Segal outlines potential security structures, likening it to East/West Berlin. He also dives into the challenge of Palestinian self-determination, Israel's evolving strategies post-Trump, and the implications of public sympathy shifts in the U.S. Expect a thought-provoking exploration of regional dynamics!

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INSIGHT

Ceasefire As A Temporary Pause

The ceasefire is a pause, not the end of the war, because Israel still controls 53% of Gaza and insists on Hamas demilitarization.
Israel traded a prisoner-swap ceasefire while retaining military presence until Hamas is dismantled.

INSIGHT

Skepticism About Outsourced Demilitarization

Israel doubts outsiders can demilitarize Hamas and prefers security control rather than outsourcing to Arab forces.
Segal expects a rebuilt, Israeli-supervised area funded by Gulf states inside Gaza's controlled zone.

INSIGHT

A Divided Gaza Vision

Segal envisions Gaza split into a funded, deradicalized 'new Rafah' under Israeli security and a ruined, Hamas-controlled zone.
He compares movement control to Cold War-style separation with strict security checks into the rebuilt area.

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Israeli forces still occupy half of Gaza. In the cease-fire deal, Israel agreed to fully withdraw its presence there once Hamas fully demilitarized. But Amit Segal thinks that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. Instead, he believes Gaza will end up divided. So what does that really mean? What are the implications?

Segal is the chief political analyst for Channel 12 News in Israel and is known to be quite close to the Netanyahu government. He writes the newsletter It’s Noon in Israel and is the author of the book “A Call at 4 a.m.: Thirteen Prime Ministers and the Crucial Decisions That Shaped Israeli Politics,” which was recently published in English.

In this conversation, he talks about why most Israelis don’t see the cease-fire as the end of the war between Israel and Hamas and how this conflict is mapping onto Israeli politics — both at present and as the country looks toward its next elections.

This episode contains strong language.

Book Recommendations:

The Accidental President by A. J. Baime

An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Messiah in Sde Boker by Hagai Segal

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.

You can find the transcript and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.html

This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Jack McCordick. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker and Aman Sahota. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Transcript editing by Naomi Noury.

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