What is Israel's plan for Gaza?

The Briefing Room

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.8 • 731 Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dire warnings of famine in Gaza, a broken ceasefire and the threat by the Israeli government of a new “intense” offensive which would forcibly displace Palestinians to an area in the south of Gaza and perhaps out of the strip altogether, plus the latest release of a US hostage. This is the war between Israel and Gaza 19 months on from the deadly attack by Hamas which killed 1200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages.

So what chance of peace between Israel and Gaza? Can a new ceasefire be negotiated with US backing or will Israel go it alone and forcibly occupy most of Gaza?

Guests:

Yolande Knell, BBC Middle East Correspondent Anshel Pfeffer, Israel Correspondent at The Economist, Yossi Mekelberg, Senior Consulting Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House Shibley Telhami, Professor of Government and Politics at University of Maryland and a non resident senior fellow at Brookings Institution.

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison Sound Engineer: David Crackles Editor: Richard Vadon

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.
0:09.6	Whatever piece the January Gaza ceasefire brought is long gone.
0:14.9	There's clear evidence of severe food shortages among the population
0:18.7	with all aid blockaded since March, and clear evidence, too,
0:22.8	of a continuing Hamas presence, despite a war which started with the attack on Israel in October
0:28.3	2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage, and has now seen tens of
0:35.5	thousands of Palestinian deaths in Israel's response.
0:39.3	In the last fortnight, the Israeli cabinet has agreed a highly controversial plan,
0:44.3	which seems to require a mass displacement of Palestinians to the south of Gaza,
0:48.3	with no clear idea of when or if they'll be allowed to return.
0:52.3	And, right now, Donald Trump is in the middle of a visit to the Gulf states,
0:57.6	and officially or unofficially, Gaza is going to be on his host's agenda.
1:02.8	Can a new ceasefire being negotiated with US backing,
1:06.0	or will Israel go in alone and occupy most of Gaza?
1:09.3	And how does a ceasefire fit into the prospects for a lasting
1:12.8	peace? Step into the briefing room and together we'll find out.
1:22.8	First, what happened to the ceasefire which came in just as President Trump was inaugurated
1:27.7	in January this year? I'm joined from Jerusalem by the BBC's Middle East correspondent Yoland Nell.
1:34.2	Behind her, you may hear a rather loud call to prayer.
1:38.7	Yolang, can you tell us what happened to that ceasefire that was agreed in January?
1:42.5	So that ceasefire came into effect on the 19th of
1:45.3	January. It lasted only for two months. It was part of what was supposed to be a three-phase
	...

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