Israel gives Hamas 60-day deadline

Amid a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, Israel has given Hamas a 60-day deadline. The group must surrender all its weapons by the deadline, or face a major military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs made the announcement at a conference in Jerusalem on Monday. He said the 60-day deadline was set at the request of US President Donald Trump's administration.

"The Trump administration asked for a 60-day period, and we have respected that," Fuchs said.

The Cabinet Secretary also said that Hamas must surrender all its weapons, including rifles like the AK-47, within that period. According to him, these weapons are the foundation of Hamas's military capabilities.

“If it works, great,” he said. “If it doesn’t, the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) will complete their mission.” His statement is seen as a signal that a major military operation in Gaza is about to begin.

However, Fuchs did not specify when the 60-day countdown would begin. He indicated that it could begin after a meeting of the US-led ‘Board of Peace’, which is due to take place in Washington this week.

He added that Hamas must either disarm before Israel’s upcoming elections or the Israeli military will engage in a more vigorous military operation in Gaza.

Although a ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October, violence has not completely stopped. The Gaza Civil Defense Agency said at least 12 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli airstrikes since Sunday morning.

The Israeli military claims that Hamas fighters have violated the ceasefire by coming out of tunnels and approaching the so-called “Yellow Line”, a buffer zone between Israeli and Palestinian forces.

An Israeli military official described the activities as “clear violations of the ceasefire”.

The Israeli army said that it was conducting operations against Hamas’s tunnel network in the Rafah area. It claimed that about 50 Hamas members had been killed or captured in recent months.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made the complete disarmament of Hamas a central condition for the future reconstruction of Gaza. According to him, the reconstruction of Gaza is not possible if Hamas keeps its weapons.

As part of a US-backed plan, there are proposals to restructure the Gaza regime, increase humanitarian aid, gradually withdraw Israeli troops and create an international stabilization force. Under the plan, the establishment of several interim structures, including the ‘Board of Peace’, the ‘Gaza Executive Council’ and the ‘National Committee for Gaza’, has been announced.

However, due to border control and security complications, it has not been possible to fully start the activities of these administrative structures in Gaza.

On the other hand, Hamas has complained that Israel is repeatedly violating the terms of the ceasefire, especially at the Rafah crossing with Egypt. They claim that the number of Palestinians who were supposed to be allowed to leave and enter Gaza according to the agreement has not been respected.

According to Gaza authorities, only 811 of the approximately 2,800 expected passengers have been able to cross since the Rafah crossing was partially opened in early February—less than a third of the agreed number.

Hamas claims that thousands of wounded and seriously ill patients are unable to go out for treatment. They have called on international mediators to take effective steps to implement the ceasefire conditions.