If Hamas does not hand over its weapons, the IDF may return to fighting in the Gaza Strip, Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli (Likud) said Wednesday.
“We are not in a state of routine,” he said in an interview with Channel 14. “This is a significant moment, and we must be precise: Either they hand over the weapons, or we will have to return to fighting.”
“The government has defined clear goals in the war,” Chikli said. “Thanks to military and diplomatic pressure, a deal was reached that led to the return of some of the hostages alive.”
As of Thursday night, Hamas had returned the remains of nine hostages since the commencement of the first phase of US President Donald Trump's Israel-Hamas Gaza peace plan. Nineteen more remain in the Gaza Strip.
“Israel has [overpowered] Hamas and defeated it... and this is a significant achievement,” Chikli said, adding that “the IDF controls large areas in the Gaza Strip.
Next stage of the deal
Chickli's comments mirror similar ones made by Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Regarding the next phase of the hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed cautious optimism and said that he is hopeful that it will go smoothly, saying that "we agreed to give peace a chance."
Speaking after US President Donald Trump's brief visit to Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Netanyahu said that now that the living hostages have been returned, Hamas's demilitarization and disarmament must come next.
"First, Hamas has to give up its arms, and second, you want to make sure that there are no weapons factories inside Gaza. There's no smuggling of weapons into Gaza. That's demilitarization."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed cautious optimism about the next phase of the ceasefire deal and said he was hopeful that it will go smoothly. “We agreed to give peace a chance,” he said Tuesday.
Now that the living hostages have been returned, Hamas’s demilitarization and disarmament must come next, Netanyahu said.
“First, Hamas has to give up its arms, and second, you want to make sure that there are no weapons factories inside Gaza,” he said. “There’s no smuggling of weapons into Gaza. That’s demilitarization.”
Trump’s conditions were very clear, Netanyahu said, adding that Hamas’s failure to comply could mean that “all hell breaks loose.”
Also on Tuesday, Trump said that Hamas must disarm or it will be disarmed.
“The job IS NOT DONE,” he posted on social media after Hamas violated Trump’s peace plan and the 72-hour deadline set for the return of all hostages, living and dead, from captivity in Gaza.
“If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them,” Trump said during a meeting at the White House with Argentine President Javier Milei. “And it will happen quickly and perhaps violently.”