Top Netanyahu aide: Hamas will have 60 days to disarm

Israel plans to afford Hamas a 60-day period to disarm, and if it does not, the Israeli military will go back to war in the Gaza Strip, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yossi Fuchs, said Monday, Report informs via The Times of Israel.

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs made the statement a day after the premier asserted that the terror group must give up its small arms as part of the disarmament process, including its AK-47 rifles - after some news that the terror group might be allowed to hold onto its rifles for now.

Speaking in Jerusalem to the Besheva Group conference, Fuchs said that the Trump Administration had asked for a 60-day period, and "we are respecting that."

Fuchs clarified that he is unsure when the 60-day period starts, but it may begin with Thursday's Board of Peace conference.

During that time, Hamas "will have to give up all of its weapons," including rifles, he said, asserting that the terror group's AK-47s "will be taken from them entirely."

He added that it was a "reasonable estimate" that before Israel's next election - which is currently set for October but could be moved up to June - either Hamas will have given up its weapons or the IDF will be in the midst of an intensive new military campaign in Gaza.

Fuchs said there were many Gaza tunnels that also needed to be destroyed as part of the process.