It has been more than 22 months since my son, Itay, a U.S.-Israeli citizen, was taken hostage by Hamas. He remains in the dungeons of Gaza to this day, along with 49 other hostages. Itay was stationed at the Gaza border to protect local agricultural communities when he was abducted and kidnapped. There has been no word from Hamas on his status since Oct. 7, 2023. 

Even with the killing of Hamas leadership, we have not seen any significant progress in the negotiations, with neither side readily moving from their current position. We must ask ourselves how Hamas still believes it can survive and reestablish control in Gaza. One of my answers is their international financial infrastructure that remains mostly in place, which Hamas taps into, even today, to pay its militants and supporters. 

It’s time to increase the international economic pressure on Hamas and its backers significantly to neutralize its ability to stay in power and force a hostage deal. How? Hamas, like any terrorist organization, needs a lot of cash. Cash allows it to buy weapons, pay fighters, and build expensive military infrastructure such as its underground tunnel network, which is far larger than the New York City subway system. Every month, Hamas pays tens of millions of dollars to its tens........

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