Unless a sovereign Palestinian state is established, Hamas has reaffirmed that it will not agree to disarm, in response to one of Israel’s key demands in talks about a ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas is the Palestinian armed group.
The reaction by Hamas is in response to remarks it attributed to US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff that Hamas had “expressed its willingness” to lay down its weapons.
Disarmament of Hamas is one of several key conditions for any deal to end the conflict between the two parties in Israel’s consideration.
Last week, indirect negotiations between the two to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages stalled.
Arab governments have, in the past few days, urged Hamas to disarm and surrender control of Gaza, after a number of Western countries – including France and Canada – announced plans to recognise a state of Palestine.
The UK government also said it would recognise the Palistenian state if Israel did not meet certain conditions by September.
Hamas, in a statement, said it could not yield its right to “resistance and its weapons” unless an “independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital” was established.
On Friday, Israel Defence Forces (IDF)’s Lt Gen Eyal Zamir warned that there would be no respite in fighting in Gaza if negotiations failed to quickly secure the release of hostages being held by Hamas.
Meanwhile, UN agencies have warned there is man-made, mass starvation in Gaza, and have blamed Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies to the territory. Israel has insisted there are no restrictions on aid deliveries and that there is “no starvation.”
According to the latest figures from the United Nations, at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed seeking food since late May.
