Smotrich claims Hamas to be given ‘two-month ultimatum’ to disarm: Report
Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, says Hamas will be given a “two-month ultimatum” to disarm by Trump’s Board of Peace, which will oversee ending the war in Gaza.
In comments carried by Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon, Smotrich is quoted as saying that there will be no end to the war “before Hamas is destroyed”.
“There will be no Hamas in Gaza, neither militarily, nor [civilly], nor in government. We made a commitment, and that is the main objective of the war,” he said.
The second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement stipulates the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian factions, further withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the beginning of reconstruction efforts.
While the Board of Peace was announced as part of Trump’s ceasefire plan in October, its charter does not explicitly refer to the enclave and is instead described as “an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance”.
Israeli PM criticizes Gaza committee’s use of Palestinian Authority logo
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza over its decision to update its logo to match the Palestinian Authority (PA) emblem.
The logo “presented to Israel was entirely different from the one published this evening”, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Monday.
“Israel will not accept the use of a Palestinian Authority symbol; the Palestinian Authority will have no part in the administration of Gaza,” it added.
Netanyahu has vehemently objected to any role for the PA in Gaza, although he acknowledged last week that PA representatives will participate in the operational mechanism at the Rafah crossing.
The 15-person committee was established as part of the US-brokered peace effort and consists of 11 Palestinian national figures. It is led by Ali Shaath, a former PA official.
French judges issue arrest warrants for French-Israeli activists over complicity in Gaza genocide
French investigating judges have issued arrest warrants for two French-Israeli women living in Israel, accused of having obstructed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, French newspaper Le Monde has reported.
The women were identified as Nili Kupfer-Naouri, founder and president of the organisation Israel Is Forever, which states its mission as the “mobilization of French-speaking Zionist forces”, and Rachel T, spokesperson for the collective Tsav 9, which repeatedly blocked trucks headed for Gaza in 2024.
According to the report, they are accused of complicity in genocide and incitement to genocide.
