Trump has once again reiterated that if Hamas does not release the hostages by January 20th, the day he becomes the US president, there will be “hell to pay.” While there is reported movement towards some sort of deal, Trump has made it clear that all the hostages must be released or else. No one believes President Trump is bluffing, but many are wondering if there is anything he can really do to get Hamas to release the hostages once he becomes president again.
While increasing the destruction of Hamas and the Gaza Strip may be a direction President Trump will take, this will most likely not translate to the hostages being released. After all, Hamas is a death cult. The fighters don’t care if they die or the residents of Gaza die. Killing more of them will only turn them all into martyrs.
So what can be done?
In order for Trump to be effective there are three components that the new administration should pursue to create the right kind of pressure on Hamas and the broader Gaza population to get them to release all the hostages.
No More Humanitarian Aid, Water, and Fuel: The first is upon assuming office, the USA should not only stop demanding humanitarian aid be delivered into Gaza, but openly call on Israel to shut off the electricity, water, fuel and halt all food into the strip until all hostages are released. This may not get the hostages returned right away, but it will begin to pit Gazans against each other and Gazans against Hamas. Most important Hamas fighters will begin to fight with other Hamas fighters as their food and supplies run out. Sooner or later, the Gazan populace and possibly disgruntled Hamas fighters will hand over the hostages.
Sanction Turkey and Qatar: Secondly, the US should immediately sanction both Turkey and Qatar for hosting Hamas until the hostages are released. This may not have a direct affect on the Hamas fighters on the ground, but the message will be clear – no more dancing at two weddings. Either Turkey and Qatar are allies or they are enemies – they cannot be both.
Hand Gazan Territory To Israel: Lastly, for every day the hostages are not released Israel should be given the option of annexing one square kilometer of land. This is a permanent transaction. When Gazans see that eventually they will have nothing left they will turn on Hamas and find a way to hand over all of the hostages.
President Trump’s team may have another solution, but I believe the above three ideas when implemented will be the most effective in getting Hamas to hand over the hostages as well as assuring Israel’s enemies will think twice before attacking the Jewish State. Hamas has under two weeks and then we will see just how serious President Trump intends to be and what kind of “hell” he is willing to dish out.