Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Monday that Israel will soon give Hamas a final warning to "allow its leaders to leave the Gaza Strip and hand over their weapons, offices, and tunnels." He said, "If Hamas does not do this, we will have the legitimacy to act ourselves."

He emphasized that "Israel has not abandoned its goal of destroying Hamas, but it has given U.S. President Donald Trump the opportunity to do it in his own way."

He added that "if Trump fails to eliminate Hamas, the Israeli army will receive international legitimacy and U.S. support to carry it out," according to Hebrew media.

He also confirmed that "the Israeli army is already working on the necessary plans."

Tents in Gaza. (AFP)

He concluded: "In the end, we will occupy Gaza and establish a Jewish settlement there."

Last week, Smotrich called for "encouraging the migration" of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip in order to establish Israel's "sovereignty" over Palestinian lands.

Since the beginning of February, Israel has taken a series of measures aimed at strengthening its control over the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967, including areas under the Palestinian Authority’s control according to the Oslo Accords signed in the early 1990s.

Speaking at an event organized by his party, Religious Zionism, he said: "We will eliminate the idea of an Arab terrorist state. We will finally cancel, both officially and practically, the cursed Oslo Accords, and embark on a path toward sovereignty, while encouraging migration from Gaza and the West Bank."

He added: "There is no other long-term solution."

Smotrich also presented his "Settlement 2030" program ahead of the legislative elections scheduled for October at the latest, for which an unofficial campaign has already begun.

In addition to serving as Finance Minister, Smotrich, who lives in a settlement in the West Bank, holds extensive authority over the civil administration of the West Bank within the Defense Ministry, giving him significant influence over Israel’s settlement activities.

Eighty-five countries at the United Nations issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s adoption of new measures aimed at "expanding its illegal presence" in the occupied West Bank. They expressed their "strong opposition to any form of annexation"  saying that any change in legal status could result in a "change in demographic composition."