Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Top Hamas official refuses Netanyahu aide’s 60-day disarmament ultimatum
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
Hamas gunmen guard an area where they are searching for the bodies of hostages with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City on November 3, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi rejects Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs’s statement yesterday that Hamas will have 60 days to disarm, possibly starting with Thursday’s Board of Peace conference.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mardawi says Hamas has received no such information from mediators and calls such statements “merely threats with no basis in the ongoing negotiations.”
Israel has said Gaza cannot be rebuilt until Hamas gives up its weapons.
US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza explicitly says that Hamas must give up its weapons, but the Hamas statement endorsing the plan contained significant conditions and did not directly mention disarmament.
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
The Times of Israel Community.
JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY
Already a member? Log in here