Dr. Raphael Ben Levi: The issue lies in the fact that Hamas doesn’t care about being killed or losing Gaza’s population. They don’t care about these threats, so this approach likely won’t lead to them giving up their arms or taking exile. What we should pressure Hamas with is something they care about: controlling territory. The threat should be that Israel will begin annexing portions of the Gaza Strip, with each day the hostages remain captive resulting in more land lost. This could be pressure Hamas understands.
Other measures should include Israel withholding aid to Gaza, a step President Biden supported early on but moved away from. Trump is advocating for a stronger push, encouraging Israel to take all possible steps to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages.
The full interview took place on TV7 Israel news on March 6, 2025.