DaysofPal—The senior official in Hamas has rejected the Israeli ultimatum, giving the group 60 days to surrender all weapons, including small arms, warning that confrontation would remain ongoing.
Mahmoud Mardawi, a leader in Hamas, said in remarks to a program broadcast on Al Jazeera Mubasher that the movement had received no formal notification of such a decision from any official party.
He described statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and media reports as threats lacking any basis in current negotiations.
The comments came after a senior adviser to Netanyahu said on Monday that the Israeli occupation intends to give Hamas a 60-day deadline to disarm, warning that military operations in the Gaza Strip would resume if the group fails to comply.
Mardawi also noted that the Israeli occupation is waging a fundamentally religious campaign in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, rather than merely a military occupation.
He cited Israeli control over religious sites such as Rachel’s Tomb and the Ibrahimi Mosque, along with displacement measures and annexation efforts targeting Jerusalem.
He said these policies are intended to force Palestinians to emigrate but would ultimately fail, insisting that Palestinians would remain on their land despite the ongoing blockade and violence in Gaza and the West Bank.
Responding to questions about possible Israeli use of force if the deadline expires, Mardawi warned that such action would have “dangerous repercussions” for the wider region, stressing that Palestinians would not surrender.
He further alleged that Israeli policies aim to push Palestinians toward neighboring countries, including Jordan, but said Palestinians remain committed to their homes, neighborhoods, and villages and will continue to defend their land and holy sites.
Mardawi said dialogue is underway among Palestinian factions, including the Palestinian Authority and Fatah, to formulate a unified stance regarding developments in the West Bank, particularly land seizures and settlement expansion.
He emphasized that the absence of national unity would endanger the Palestinian cause and called for a coordinated Arab and Islamic position to confront Israeli policies and protect Palestinian lands and religious sites.
No immediate response from Israeli officials was included in the report.
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