The U.S. Plan to Split Gaza: Peace or a Powder Keg?

The proposed U.S. plan to divide Gaza into zones controlled separately by Israel and Hamas has ignited intense debate across the region. Supporters argue it could offer a path to stability and reconstruction, while critics warn it risks entrenching division and legitimizing Hamas’s power. The plan’s success hinges on Hamas’s disarmament—an unlikely prospect that leaves Israel bearing enormous security and political risks as it attempts to rebuild Gaza under international pressure. Arab governments have rejected the idea outright, viewing it as a step toward indefinite Israeli control, and Palestinians fear a repeat of the fragmented governance seen in Judea and Samaria.