Hamas Rejects 60-Day Ultimatum Issued by Netanyahu Aide to Disarm

Rafah. Hamas has rejected an ultimatum from an Israeli government official. An aide to Netanyahu had warned the group to lay down its arms within 60 days.

The Secretary of the Israeli Cabinet, Yossi Fuchs, had warned that if the warning was violated, the genocide war in Gaza would resume. However, senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Mirdawi stated that he was unaware of this.

“The statements made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and through the media are merely threats and have no connection to the ongoing negotiations,” Mirdawi told Al Jazeera Mubasher.

Previously, at a conference held in Jerusalem on Monday, Netanyahu's aide Fuchs had stated that if Hamas did not surrender its weapons within 60 days, the war in Gaza would restart. Fuchs also mentioned that the US administration had requested this timeframe and that Israel was respecting it.

It was not certain when the ultimatum would begin, but he suggested it could start in conjunction with the meeting of US President Donald Trump's ‘Board of Peace’, which was scheduled for February 19.

The meeting is expected to discuss plans for the reconstruction of Gaza and arms control. Mirdawi warned that the threat of war would have serious regional consequences. He also stated that they would not accept the defeat of the Palestinian people.

The United States plans to ensure the disarmament of Hamas and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force in the ceasefire agreement that began in mid-January. However, Hamas has made it clear that it will not give up its weapons until Israel occupies Gaza.