Hamas official rejects Israeli ultimatum to surrender weapons in Gaza

A senior Hamas official on Monday rejected an Israeli ultimatum for the Palestinian movement to surrender its weapons and called on Israel to uphold the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

A close aide to the Israeli prime minister on Monday threatened to resume the war on Gaza if Hamas does not disarm within 60 days.

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi told Al Jazeera that the group had not been notified of the deadline by Israel and called the threat baseless, saying any attempt by Israel to collapse the ceasefire would have serious repercussions for the region.

Israeli media on Sunday reported comments made by Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, who told a conference that the Israeli military "will have to complete the mission" if Hamas refuses to disarm within the two-month period.

"There is barely a building left standing in the Gaza Strip, but the work is not yet completed," he was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel.

Fuchs said he was unsure when the 60-day period would begin though said it may start with the Board of Peace's first conference on Thursday.

Israel, which joined the board last week, will be represented by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar at the event.

Hamas and other Palestinians factions last week ruled out surrendering their weapons until Israel fully complies with the ceasefire agreement.

Israel has violated the truce on almost a daily basis since it came into effect in October, killing at least 603 Palestinians and injuring more than 1,600 others in dozens of attacks across Gaza, according to the the enclave's health ministry.

Israeli authorities have continued to impose heavy restrictions on the Rafah crossing, despite opening the border in both directions earlier this month.

The Gaza Government Media Office said Monday that fewer than 30 percent of 2,800 people who had applied to travel between 2 and 15 February had been allowed to cross.

US news media reported last week that the Trump administration is considering allowing Hamas to keep some of its light weapons as part of a phased plan to disarm the group.

The Israeli military said Sunday it had killed six Hamas gunmen in southern Gaza, in the latest violation of the four-month ceasefire.

Dozens of fighters are believed to have been trapped in tunnels beneath Israel-occupied Rafah since the ceasefire came into effect.

The Israeli military has said it has killed or captured around 50 of them.

Meanwhile, Morocco, Greece and Albania will join the Gaza peacekeeping force being assembled by the Trump administration, according to Israeli media reports.

The composition of the International Stabilisation Force is expected to be announced when the US unveils its Gaza reconstruction plan at the Board of Peace conference on Thursday.

The US has held months of discussions with Arab and Muslim countries about joining the force, although few have committed troops amid uncertainty about the scope of the mission and the fragility of the ceasefire.

Indonesia is the only country to have publicly committed to deploying soldiers inside Gaza.

The Associated Press reported on Sunday that the Asian country will deploy 1,000 soldiers in April and another 7,000 by June.