JERUSALEM

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that Hamas will be given a “two-month ultimatum” by US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” to disarm.

“The Board of Peace will issue a two-month ultimatum to Hamas to disarm,” Smotrich said in comments carried by the local newspaper Makor Rishon.

He said that Israel will not end its war on the Gaza Strip “before Hamas is destroyed.”

"There will be no Hamas in Gaza, neither militarily, nor civilianly, nor in government. We made a commitment, and that is the main objective of the war."

There was no immediate comment from Trump’s “Board of Peace” on Smotrich’s statements.

The extremist minister said the Israeli army controls more than half of the Gaza Strip “and controls everything.”

"The second phase (of the ceasefire) is for disarmament. It is unfortunate that we didn't begin it three months ago,” Smotrich said.

Trump announced the establishment of the "Board of Peace” on Jan. 15 as part of his broader plan for Gaza, under which a ceasefire agreement was reached on Oct. 10, 2025. The board was later authorized by UN Security Council Resolution 2803 in November 2025.

According to the White House, Trump chairs the board, which is supported by a founding executive board composed of figures with experience in diplomacy, development, infrastructure and economic strategy.

Although the "Board of Peace” emerged in the aftermath of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, its charter does not explicitly reference the enclave, where about 2.4 million people, including roughly 1.5 million displaced, are living in dire humanitarian conditions.

The charter describes the board as “an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict."

It grants Trump extensive lifelong powers, including veto authority and the appointment of members. Critics say this structure amounts to an attempt to bypass the UN.

The second phase of the Gaza agreement stipulates the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian factions, an additional withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the launch of reconstruction efforts, which the United Nations estimates will cost about $70 billion.

The first phase included a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange involving the release of Israeli captives in return for Palestinian prisoners. However, Tel Aviv has continued to violate the agreement on a daily basis.

The Israeli army has killed more than 71,000 victims, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,000 in a brutal offensive since October 2023 that left Gaza in ruins.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out attacks, killing more than 524 Palestinians and wounding over 1,400, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala