WhatsappIsrael’s leadership is no longer speaking about Gaza in generalities. It is now speaking in numbers — and in deadlines.
According to statements reported in the news from the Cabinet Secretary, Hamas has been given 60 days to disarm. If it does not, the IDF will do it itself.
The announcement came just one day after Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly stated that Hamas currently possesses roughly 60,000 rifles inside the Gaza Strip. Together, the two statements form something new in the Gaza arena: a measurable condition.
Not a principle.
Not a diplomatic formula.
A test.
Sixty thousand rifles must disappear within sixty days — placing the deadline around mid-April.
Turning a Political Debate Into a Verifiable One
For months, international discussions have revolved around governance arrangements, reconstruction frameworks, and post-war administration. Israel is reframing the issue more simply: governance is meaningless while an armed organization retains a military force.
By attaching a specific number to Hamas’s arsenal and a specific date to its removal, Jerusalem is shifting the burden of proof. Disarmament is no longer a theoretical commitment to be monitored over years. It becomes a physical reality that either happens — or does not.
This also changes the role of mediators. Egypt, Qatar, and the United States are no longer negotiating abstract security guarantees; they are now effectively responsible for producing observable results on the ground.
The Strategic Message
The timeline serves three purposes at once.
To Hamas, it signals that negotiations will not determine whether disarmament happens — only whether it happens voluntarily.
To mediators, it creates a verification standard: rifles leaving Gaza, not assurances leaving conference rooms.
To the international community, it establishes a diplomatic sequence. If the weapons remain after the deadline, Israel will argue that enforcement is not escalation but implementation.
What Happens in Mid-April
The coming weeks therefore become a countdown rather than a negotiation process. Either tens of thousands of rifles physically exit the Strip, or Israel concludes that the war’s objectives remain unfinished.
In effect, Israel has reduced the post-war question to a single measurable indicator:
Not who governs Gaza —
but whether Hamas is still armed when the clock runs out.
