Hamas has rejected the demands made by an Israeli government official calling for the Gaza-based group to give up its weapons within 60 days, warning that if Hamas fails to do so, Israel will restart its war with Gaza.
“Statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu … and through the media are merely threats with no basis in the ongoing negotiations.” Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi told Al Jazeera.
His comments come ahead of the Israeli Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, who threatened to start the war on Gaza again if Hamas does not disarm in 60 days, as reported by the Times of Israel.
Al Jazeera further reported that a senior official of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the two-month timeframe was given by the United States administration, which they are “respecting.”
The official did not confirm the date when the ultimatum would initiate; however, he said it might start on February 19, when the meeting of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace will start.
Hamas’s political leader, Khaled Meshaal, earlier this month, had rejected the demands to make the arms group in Gaza give up their weapons. He argued that this would turn Gaza into “an easy victim to be eliminated,” Al Jazeera reported.
The genocide in Gaza since October 2023 has killed more than 72,000 people, which includes thousands of children.
Al Jazeera has also documented 2,842 Palestinians who have “evaporated” since the war began in October 2023.
This phenomenon has been attributed to Israel’s systematic use of weapons, which has been prohibited internationally. These weapons are often referred to as vacuum or aerosol bombs and are capable of generating temperatures exceeding 2,500 degrees Celsius.
