Podcast Summary: Call Me Back - with Dan Senor

Episode: Phase II of Trump’s Gaza Plan – with Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal
Date: January 22, 2026

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode provides a deep dive into “Phase II” of President Trump’s postwar Gaza plan, analyzing its structure, the emerging global oversight mechanisms, and especially the implications and challenges for Israel’s government and Israeli society. The conversation, featuring journalists Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal, aims to unpack both the diplomatic maneuvering and the everyday realities for Gazans, while reflecting on how these developments reverberate through Israeli politics ahead of a critical election.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Overview of Trump’s Gaza Plan and International Oversight

• Board of Peace: Oversees global conflict resolution under Trump’s chairmanship, with key invitees (including Netanyahu, eight Muslim countries, and prominent Western figures like Tony Blair and Marco Rubio).
• General Executive Committee: Senior advisory group that sets agenda, mostly Trump associates and influential international voices.
• Gaza Executive Committee: Implements policy on the ground—includes Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, Nikolai Mladenov, plus Turkish, Qatari, Emirati, and Egyptian officials.
• Technocrat Committee: Palestinian professionals tasked with daily administration in Gaza.
• International Stability Force (ISF): Multinational security meant to maintain order and enable civilian administration in Gaza.

“There’s a lot there to digest… The ‘bull’ is the key body, the Gaza Executive Committee… the bureaucratic government, the Palestinian government on the ground in Gaza. That’s the most important thing.”
— Nadav Eyal [06:06]

2. Palestinian Administration: Selection, Accountability, and Practical Challenges

• Palestinian technocrats (largely connected to Fatah or the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas) are to manage day-to-day life. All have been vetted by Israel’s defense authorities.
• Most come from prominent families and have complicated relations with all Palestinian factions. Some are outright enemies of Hamas, risking their lives to assume office.

“General Samin Usman… is an intelligence official of the Palestinian Authority… has an arrest warrant against him that was issued by Hamas… and he’s supposed to sit in Hamas jail for 15 years… and that’s the man waiting to enter the Gaza Strip. So he’s an arch-enemy of Hamas, and that’s a huge story.”
— Nadav Eyal [10:30]

• Key unresolved issue: Who will fund the new Gaza bureaucracy? U.S. and Israel unlikely; focus turns to the wealthy Arab states.

3. Hamas' Future and the Challenge of Disarmament

• Discussion about whether Hamas might leave Gaza completely—and skepticism that full disarmament (particularly the turnover of all weapons and destruction of tunnels) is realistic.

“Hamas has had 17… very, very good years… but now it gets used to [being a guerrilla organization]… As long as we don’t see 60,000 Kalachnikov rifles handed over to the new government, we know that Hamas is still there.”
— Amit Segal [13:00]

• Israel insists on full demilitarization as non-negotiable, but doubts remain over meaningful enforcement and the genuine scope of Hamas’ departure or disarmament.

4. “Yellow Line” and Division of Gaza

• Continued debate about whether Gaza will split into a demilitarized, internationally-administered zone and a “Hamastan” enclave.
• IDF reluctant to retreat further without total demilitarization; any further withdrawal tied to U.S. pressure and coordination at the highest levels.

“Israel doesn’t want to give any grounds right now in Gaza unless it knows… Ghaza had been demilitarized. Meaning also the tunnels and everything else.”
— Nadav Eyal [14:41]

5. Israeli Government’s Dilemmas and Friction with the U.S.

• Visible dissatisfaction from Netanyahu’s government—especially the far right—about the inclusion of PA-associated technocrats or even the appearance of coordination with former Hamas patrons like Turkey and Qatar.

“For Israel, it was quite a compromise, which made sense to actually put up with this and write a comment when Shabbat ends and the National Orthodox Knesset members start being furious about it, to publish an announcement only in Hebrew, in which SAR is to talk to Rubio.”
— Amit Segal (with biting sarcasm) [18:10]

• Netanyahu’s government is trying to placate both the U.S. and his domestic right-wing coalition, carefully managing public messaging and private negotiations.

6. Role of the International Stability Force

• The ISF is envisioned more as a peacekeeping police for internationally administered areas than as a direct force to combat Hamas militarily in its remaining strongholds.

“What it is actually going to do is to be like the police in the eastern part of Gaza, controlled militarily by Israel, the new Rafah, funded by the Emirates, secured by Israel, and policed by the international force. They are not going under any circumstances to fight against Hamas inside West Gaza…”
— Amit Segal [20:00]

• If full disarmament stalls, an Israeli re-invasion could become the “default” outcome—undermining Trump’s achievement of “ending the war in Gaza.”

7. Everyday Life for Gazans

• Dire humanitarian conditions: Most Gazans live in tents, face winter with inadequate shelter, sanitation crisis, and the near-collapse of public services like education.
• The economy is heavily reliant on external aid, much of which is allegedly diverted by Hamas; no real horizon for reconstruction since Israel restricts materials seen as dual-use for military purposes.

“Life is miserable in Gaza. Many Gazans live in tents… There is no sanitary systems… children soaking wet… Most of the schools… don’t exist anymore… Unemployment is skyrocketing… The economy isn’t really working.”
— Nadav Eyal [27:30]

“Now 80% of Gaza are basically a huge refugee camp… There is no horizon… Israel refuses to enter into Gaza anything but food, iPhones, and some other marginal products, which means… there are no buildings to be built in the coming future.”
— Amit Segal [29:11]

• New idea floated: Barter weapons/tunnels for reconstruction (e.g., 500 rifles for a new high school), incentivizing demilitarization for tangible civilian gains.

8. Impact on Israeli Politics & Upcoming Elections

• Deep divisions, with Netanyahu caught between coalition far right (critical of any empowered Palestinian Authority role) and centrist opposition (accusing him of inaction or capitulation).
• Both sides use the Gaza situation as rhetorical ammunition.
• Crucial, high-stakes election imminent; Gaza and security policy will be defining issues.

“If you want Netanyahu not to head to the center and agree for everything, you need us strong. Don’t vote for the Likud, vote for the far right… Of course, Lapid and Bennett and Lieberman are using this to make the point… Netanyahu is full of hot air. And that’s it.”
— Nadav Eyal [34:00]

• Netanyahu likely to campaign less on Gaza and more on “regional transformation,” his record on confronting Iran, and international statesmanship (e.g., U.S. partnership, normalization).

“I think Netanyahu would try to zoom out. It’s not Gaza, it’s the entire Middle East.”
— Amit Segal [36:06]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Gaza’s future bureaucracy:
  “Who’s going to fund the bureaucracy of the Palestinians in Gaza? Who’s actually paying the checks starting basically tomorrow morning?”
  — Nadav Eyal [08:35]

• On the farcical nature of diplomatic announcements:
  “It reminds me of the story when I’m afraid of speaking to my wife. So I tell my son, you talk to Mama.”
  — Amit Segal, joking about the Israeli government’s indirect complaints to the U.S. [16:19]

• On Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe:
  “Now 80% of Gaza are basically a huge refugee camp, not only by name. Today it’s really a refugee camp.”
  — Amit Segal [29:11]

• On Israel’s security calculus:
  “The only force in the world that can actually disarm Hamas and is willing to sacrifice the lives of its soldiers to do so is the IDF. And even the IDF doesn’t think it would be the right move right now to renew the war in Gaza.”
  — Nadav Eyal [23:23]

• On the cyclical drama of Israeli politics:
  “I always tell delegations… you’re coming in such an amazing time. How did you pick these dates to visit here when so many important things are happening? And it’s always true, right?”
  — Nadav Eyal [39:49]

Timestamps of Key Segments

• International Oversight Structure Explained: [04:30] – [06:05]
• Palestinian Technocrats & Accountability: [06:06] – [09:52]
• Hamas Disarmament & Future: [11:26] – [14:08]
• The “Yellow Line” and IDF Policy: [14:08] – [15:38]
• Israel-U.S. Frictions Over the Plan: [15:38] – [19:50]
• Role of International Stability Force (ISF): [19:51] – [22:03]
• Gaza’s Humanitarian Reality: [27:30] – [31:35]
• Israeli Political Responses (Right/Center/Left): [31:35] – [37:34]
• Election Stakes & Netanyhau’s Strategy: [37:34] – [40:19]

Tone & Final Thoughts

The tone throughout is urgent, irreverent, and rooted in the on-the-ground realities of policy, politics, and human suffering. The contributors blend hard-headed realism, humor, and skepticism, warning that much of the international “structure” might be political theater, while real power struggles—and real humanitarian needs—play out beneath the headlines. Both the outcome for Gaza’s future and Israel’s own leadership remain deeply uncertain, overshadowed by election pressures and the enduring challenge posed by Hamas.

For listeners seeking a nuanced, inside view of how strategic, political, and human factors collide in Israel’s Gaza dilemmas, this episode offers unvarnished analysis—tempered with moments of dark humor and an ever-present awareness of history’s weight.