DMZ America Podcast Ep 216: “What Next for Gaza and Israel?”

Tune in to the “DMZ America Podcast” as nationally-syndicated editorial cartoonists Ted Rall and Scott Stantis handicap the first phase of President Trump's Gaza Peace Plan, kicking off a possible end to the brutal two-year Israel-Hamas war. Israeli forces pull back from ravaged zones, and now Hamas is expected to release all 20 living hostages—plus remains of the deceased—within 24 hours in exchange for 250 Palestinian life inmates and 1,700 Palestinian hostages. 

Ted and Scott will also show and discuss their latest cartoons about the conflict, as well as those by some of their colleagues.

Daily aid trucks are rolling in, easing famine's grip after 45,000+ Palestinian deaths and proving that Israel had been keeping out food and water. Both Israelis and Palestinians are celebrating.

But shadows loom: Will next phases—demilitarizing Hamas, deploying international stabilizers, and rebuilding the Strip—actually occur? 

Who will rule Gaza after Hamas abolished all domestic opposition? Ted predicts a Hamas rebrand, as in Ireland after the Troubles. Will Netanyahu’s government survive? Genocide accusations from rights groups will be amplified as mass graves and other evidence of Israeli war crimes surface; can Israel’s reputation in the US rebound? Polls show young Americans souring fast, splitting the Jewish vote and pressuring Biden-era holdovers. 

Ted and Scott have vehemently disagreed about the war for two years, while managing to remain respectful throughout. Now it’s time to consider what comes next.