CITIZENS NEWS

U.S. and Israel weigh dividing Gaza, with reconstruction tied to Hamas disarmament

By bellecarter // 2025-10-26

• The U.S. and Israel are considering dividing Gaza into separate zones—one controlled by Israel and the other by Hamas—with reconstruction aid restricted to Israeli-held territory until Hamas disarms. Jared Kushner framed this as incentivizing disarmament while providing relief to Gazans.
• Arab mediators warn the plan risks legitimizing indefinite Israeli occupation, mirroring the West Bank's fragmented governance. They oppose peacekeeping forces under these terms and fear permanent territorial division and settlement expansion.
• Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich advocates re-establishing Jewish settlements in Gaza, heightening Palestinian fears of permanent displacement and ethnic cleansing.
• Analysts compare the plan to Israel's West Bank strategy, where settlements undermined Palestinian statehood. Past attempts to create Hamas-free zones collapsed into chaos, raising doubts about coercive reconstruction tactics.
• The plan hinges on untested assumptions—whether Gazans will relocate to Israeli-controlled areas and how Hamas will respond to economic pressure. With Arab leaders resistant and Israeli hardliners pushing expansion, the proposal faces major hurdles and risks deepening Gaza's humanitarian and political crisis.

The U.S. and Israel are considering a controversial plan to divide Gaza into separate zones—one controlled by Israel and the other by Hamas—with reconstruction aid flowing only to Israeli-held territory until the militant group disarms. The proposal, floated by Jared Kushner during a recent visit to Israel, has alarmed Arab mediators who fear it could entrench Israeli occupation and derail long-term peace efforts. The plan emerges as Israel already controls roughly 58 percent of Gaza following a recent ceasefire, raising concerns over permanent territorial division and renewed settlement expansion. Under the proposal, reconstruction funds would be withheld from Hamas-controlled areas while Israel oversees rebuilding efforts in its occupied zone. Jared Kushner, a key architect of Trump-era Middle East policy, framed the strategy as a way to incentivize Hamas' disarmament while providing immediate relief to Gazans. "There are considerations happening now in the area that the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] controls, as long as that can be secured, to start the construction as a new Gaza in order to give the Palestinians living in Gaza a place to go, a place to get jobs, a place to live," Kushner told reporters. Arab mediators, however, warn that the plan risks legitimizing indefinite Israeli control over parts of Gaza, echoing the West Bank's fragmented governance. They also oppose deploying peacekeeping forces under such terms. Meanwhile, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has openly advocated for re-establishing Jewish settlements in Gaza, further stoking Palestinian fears of permanent displacement, BrightU.AI's Enoch notes.

Historical parallels and political risks

Analysts compare the proposal to Israel's West Bank strategy, where military control and settlement expansion have undermined prospects for a cohesive Palestinian state. Critics argue that dividing Gaza could deepen humanitarian crises while failing to address Hamas' entrenched power. "Gaza has represented the only patch of territorial contiguity for a Palestinian state," said Tahani Mustafa of the European Council on Foreign Relations. "A plan like this could end up creating what Palestinians feared." Past attempts to carve out Hamas-free zones in Gaza—such as Israeli-backed aid distribution areas—have collapsed into chaos, with civilians caught in crossfire. The new plan's viability hinges on untested assumptions, including whether Palestinians would relocate to Israeli-controlled areas and how Hamas would respond to economic pressure. The U.S.-backed proposal reflects a gamble: that reconstruction can be weaponized to weaken Hamas without triggering broader conflict. Yet with Arab leaders resistant, Palestinians distrustful and Israeli hardliners pushing for settlements, the plan faces steep hurdles. As ceasefire tensions simmer, the Trump administration must navigate a path that avoids further fracturing Gaza—or risk entrenching the very divisions it seeks to resolve. Watch the video below that talks about Hamas disarmament. This video is from Brachaim's channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

News.AntiWar.com WSJ.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com

Israel Trump US Hamas WWIII humanitarian aid weapons technology disarmament Gaza peace deal ceasefire deal