Hamas says it has not received a deadline to surrender all its weapons as Israel threatens to reignite war in the Gaza Strip if the Palestinian resistance group refuses to disarm.
“We have not received any notification or information from the [ceasefire] mediators – the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey – regarding a deadline for the disarmament of the resistance group in Gaza,” senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said on Monday evening.
He added that the ongoing Israeli violations and acts of aggression in Gaza and the occupied West Bank are part of the regime's plans to forcibly displace the populations in Gaza.
The remarks came shortly after Israeli cabinet secretary Yossi Fuchs said during a conference in al-Quds that the Tel Aviv regime has issued a 60-day ultimatum demanding Hamas disarm completely and threatened to resume military offensives should the Palestinian group not agree.
Fuchs asserted that Hamas “will have to give up all of its weapons, including rifles,” claiming the timeline was requested by the US administration and that Israel is “respecting that.”
The exact beginning of the ultimatum remains unclear, though Fuchs suggested it could commence with the February 19 gathering of President Donald Trump's Board of Peace.
“We will evaluate it. If it works, great. If not, then the Israeli military will have to complete the mission,” Fuchs stated.
According to authorities in Gaza, Israeli forces have committed hundreds of violations of the ceasefire agreement since it took effect on October 10 last year. At least 603 Palestinians have been killed and 1,618 others injured since then.
A ceasefire agreement was meant to bring to a close a bloody Israeli military onslaught that started on October 8, 2023 and lasted for two years. Israel, however, continues to violate the agreement through its strikes and attacks.
According to Palestinian officials, the genocidal campaign resulted in the deaths of over 72,000 Palestinians and left more than 171,000 injured, inflicting extensive damage that impacted 90% of civilian infrastructure. The United Nations has projected that the expenses for rebuilding will be around $70 billion.