Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that the Palestinian group Hamas could soon face a deadline to surrender its weapons.
"We estimate that in the coming days, Hamas will be given an ultimatum to disarm and completely demilitarize Gaza," Smotrich said in an interview with public broadcaster Kan.
"If it does not comply with it, the IDF (Israeli army) will have international legitimacy and American backing to do it itself, and the IDF is already preparing for this and is making plans," said the minister, who is a member of Israel's security cabinet charged with approving large-scale military operations.
The U.S.-sponsored ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since Oct. 10, halting Israel's two-year offensive that has killed more than 72,000 people, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.
Under the first phase of the ceasefire, the Israeli army withdrew to positions behind a so-called Yellow Line, but still controls over half of the territory.
Despite the truce, Israeli forces have committed hundreds of violations through shelling and gunfire, killing 615 Palestinians and injuring 1,651 others, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The second phase that officially began last month plans for a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army and the disarmament of Hamas, which the group has vehemently opposed.
"The (Israeli military) will definitely enter and occupy Gaza if Hamas does not disband," Smotrich said.
Asked how the military would do this, he said "there are two or three alternatives right now that we are examining".
The peace plan put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump also calls for the establishment of a 20,000-strong peacekeeping force, called the International Stabilization Force (ISF), to which several countries have committed troops.
Asked how the Israeli army would operate against Hamas when foreign soldiers are deployed on the ground, Smotrich said the latter would "pull out very quickly and allow the (Israeli military) to enter. This is coordinated with the Americans."
"By the way, I don't yet see them going in that fast," he added of the ISF.
