Israeli Right Wing Minister Threatens IDF to Occupy All of Gaza if Hamas Does Not Cut Its Weapons

Bezalel Smotrich. (Wikimedia Commons/Viki4800)

JAKARTA - The Israeli Minister of Finance threatened that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would occupy the entire Gaza Strip, Palestine, if Hamas did not disarm.

The Israeli right-wing minister said on Monday that the Palestinian militant group would probably soon be given a deadline to lay down its arms.

"We estimate 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, Al Arabiya reported from AFP (24/2).

"If they don't comply, the IDF (Israeli army) will have international legitimacy and American support to do it on its own, and the IDF has prepared for this and is making plans," continued the minister, who is a member of the Israeli security cabinet tasked with approving large-scale military operations.

Under the first phase of the ceasefire mediated by Egypt, Qatar, the United States and Turkey in the Gaza Strip that halted a two-year battle between Israel and Hamas, Israeli troops retreated to positions behind the so-called Yellow Line, but still control more than half of the territory.

The second phase, which officially began last month, plans a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops and the disarmament of Hamas, which the militant group strongly opposes.

"The Israeli military will definitely enter and occupy Gaza if Hamas does not dissolve," Smotrich said.

Asked how the military would do this, he said "right now there are two or three alternatives that we are considering."

It is known that the peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump also calls for the establishment of a 20,000-strong peacekeeping force, the so-called International Stabilization Force (ISF), which has been deployed by several countries.

Asked how the Israeli army would operate against Hamas when foreign troops were deployed on the ground, Smotrich said Hamas would "withdraw very quickly and allow (the Israeli military) to enter. It is coordinated with the Americans."

"By the way, I haven't seen them come in that fast," he added of the ISF.