Israeli Minister Urges Hamas to Disarm, Threatens to Occupy Entire Gaza

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said Hamas may soon be given a deadline to lay down its weapons, threatening that the military would occupy the entirety of Gaza.

“We expect that in the coming days, Hamas will be given an ultimatum to disarm and fully demilitarise Gaza,” Smotrich said in an interview with public broadcaster Kan.

“If it does not comply, the IDF (Israeli military) will have international legitimacy and American support to do it themselves, and the IDF is already preparing for this and drawing up plans,” said the minister, who is a member of Israel’s security cabinet tasked with approving large-scale military operations, as reported by AFP on Tuesday (24/2/2026).

In the first phase of the US-sponsored ceasefire in Gaza, which halted two years of fighting between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces withdrew to positions behind the so-called Yellow Line but still controlled more than half of the territory.

The second phase, which officially began last month, envisages the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops and the disarmament of Hamas — something fiercely opposed by the militant group.

“The Israeli military will certainly enter and occupy Gaza if Hamas does not disband,” Smotrich said.

When asked how the military would carry this out, he said “there are currently two or three alternatives we are considering”.

The peace plan put forward by US President Donald Trump also calls for the establishment of a 20,000-strong peacekeeping force, dubbed the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), to which several countries have already committed.

When asked how Israeli forces would operate against Hamas with foreign troops deployed on the ground, Smotrich said Hamas would “step back very quickly and let (the Israeli military) in. This is coordinated with the Americans.”

“By the way, I haven’t seen them coming in all that quickly,” he added, referring to the International Stabilisation Force.