Trump’s Gaza Plan? A Lifeline for Bibi

Who Was That Speech Really For?

We always have to ask: Who is the audience? Political speeches aren’t just words—they’re moves on the chessboard. When Trump threw out the idea of the US taking over Gaza and relocating its residents, the media outlets scrambled to interpret it. Was it a genuine policy proposal? A throwaway remark? Or was something else happening beneath the surface? 

Look past the noise, and you’ll see the real target of that speech wasn’t his typical base, the Arabs, or the international community. It wasn’t even about Gaza. It was about Israel. More specifically, it was about Netanyahu’s government and keeping it intact long enough to secure the second phase of the hostage deal. It was a clear message to Israel’s right wing: Don’t abandon ship.

Netanyahu’s Dilemma

Netanyahu is caught in a high-stakes balancing act—hovering between political survival and duty. Phase 2 of the hostage deal demands the release of additional Palestinian-terrorist prisoners and military withdrawals from Gaza. These aren’t just mere policy decisions; they are fault lines that could entirely fracture his government.

Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners—led by figures like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich—view any concession to Hamas as an unforgivable act of weakness. In their worldview, exchanging barbaric terrorists is not a humanitarian negotiation but rather, a defeat that emboldens terrorism. The far-right coalition’s message is clear: if Netanyahu proceeds, they walk. If they walk, his government crumbles. 

Yet, abandoning the hostage deal carries its own existential risks: (1) Innocent Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, and (2) the Israeli public (even within Netanyahu’s own voter base) is growing impatient. According to recent polling, 70% of Israelis support proceeding with the next phase of the hostage deal—including 54% of those who voted for Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc.

For Netanyahu, failure to act would fuel public outrage and force early elections—where his position is far from guaranteed. His coalition is fragile. His options are shrinking. And he needed an escape route. Enter Trump.

Trump’s Statement: The Ultimate Political Gambit

Behind closed doors, the message was likely unmistakable: Phase Two of the hostage deal must happen. If Hamas couldn’t derail it, neither should Netanyahu’s coalition. Yet, Netanyahu understood the real danger—his government could block it. If his hardline partners defected, he wouldn’t have the votes to push the deal through. Netanyahu needed leverage. So, Trump handed him exactly that. A statement so disruptive…so seemingly unhinged…that it forced Israel’s right-wing factions to reassess their position: the U.S. “taking over” Gaza.

At face value, the idea sounded absurd. A logistical impossibility. Yet, whether or not Trump’s words were ever meant to be implemented, the timing and calculated omission of key issues suggest a deeper strategy. The most glaring omission? Trump didn’t mention the second phase of the hostage deal…at all. That alone should raise eyebrows. Why ignore the most immediate diplomatic crisis? Phase Two is the most complex and politically treacherous stage of negotiations, and yet, Trump acted as though it didn’t exist. That silence wasn’t an oversight; it was deliberate.

The Future of the Hostage Deal

With Trump introducing this unexpected alternative, Netanyahu has been thrown a lifeline. Trump’s speech didn’t just divert media attention—it reshaped the political calculus for Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition.

The far right-wing may entirely loathe Phase Two, but they now grasp the alternative: a realignment that could render them politically irrelevant while simultaneously, alienating themselves from Trump. Thus, the hostage deal will proceed—whether under Netanyahu or a successor. The real question is who will be steering it when the time comes. It is irrefutably clear that Trump’s statement was about leverage, influence, and cementing himself as the indispensable power broker in the region.

It is also worth noting that dismissing Trump’s statement as a mere distraction is a miscalculation. Trump’s foreign policy has always been marked by decisive, paradigm-shifting moves—relocating the US embassy to Jerusalem, brokering the Abraham Accords, and bypassing years of diplomatic bureaucracy (e.g., unilaterally withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal). His approach may be blunt, but it is rarely random. And as always, the real power plays are unfolding behind closed doors.

On this topic, I want to end with a heartfelt reminder to keep praying for the safe return of the Israeli hostages still trapped in Gaza. These innocent souls are not just political pawns—they are real people who have been torn from their families, and forced into unimaginable torture. We cannot forget our brothers and sisters. We cannot allow them to become background noise in a geopolitical game. Their lives matter. Their freedom is not negotiable.  May their suffering end and may justice prevail for the remaining hostages:

Kfir Bibas
Ariel Bibas
Shiri Bibas
Rom Braslavski
Edan Alexander
Ohad Yahalomi
Sahar Baruch
Tomer Ahimas
Itzik Elgarat
Daniel Peretz
Asaf Hamami
Tamir Nimrodi
Tsachi Idan
Omer Shem-Tov
Omer Wenkert
Oded Lifshitz
Tal Shoham
Yosef-Chaim Ohana
Eliya Cohen
Yair Horn
Ronen Engel
Bar Kupershtien
Sasha Trufanov
Omer Neutra
Nattapong Pinta
Hisham al-Sayed
Yair Yaakov
Avera Mengistu
Shlomo Mansour
Gali Berman
Elkana Bohbot
Dror Or
Aviv Atzili
Joshua Loitu Mollel
Ziv Berman
Eliyahu Margalit
Gad Haggai
Guy Illouz
Matan Angrest
Judi Weinstein-Haggai
Alon Ohel
Oz Daniel
Idan Shitvi
Hadar Goldin
Ofra Keidar
Tal Haimi
Muhammad Al-Atrash
Sagui Dekel-Chen
Maxim Herkin
Shay Levinson
Nimrod Cohen
Yossi Sharabi
Meny Godard
Segev Kalfon
Omri Miran
Yonatan Samerano
Eitan Horn
Ran Gvili
Eitan Mor
Ilan Weiss
Inbar Hayman
Tamir Adar
Avinatan Or
Eyvatar David
Matan Zangauker
Guy Gilboa-Dalal
Bipin Joshi
Uriel Baruch
Arie Zalmanovich
Eitan Levy
Itay Chen
Lior Rudaeff
Ariel Cunio
David Cunio

#LetMyPeopleGo