Hamas has warned that it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state was established – a fresh reprimand for an important Israeli requirement to end the war in Gaza.
Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel, aimed at obtaining a 60-day ceasefire and a deal for the release of hostages, ended in an impasse last week.
Earlier this week, Qatar and Egypt, who cease-fire efforts, mediate, a statement from France and Saudi Arabia in the direction of a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
As part of this measure, Hamas must hand over its arms to the Palestinian authority.
In his statement, Hamas – a Palestinian political and military group that has ruled the Gaza Strip since the most recent elections in 2006, but was militarily battered by Israel in the war – that it could not lead to “armed resistance” unless an ‘independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state’ is the capital ‘.
The statement was a response to comments from the US President of the United States Donald Trump’s Midden -East Envoy, who told Hamas families that he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would effectively end the Gaza war.
Steve Witkoff visits Israel while her government is confronted with increasing pressure on the deteriorating humanitarian disorders in the enclave.
In a recording of the meeting, assessed by Reuters, Witkoff is heard and says: “We have a very, very good plan that we work collectively with the Israeli government, with Prime Minister Netanyahu … for the reconstruction of Gaza. That effectively means the end of the war.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comments on his comments.
Witkoff also said that Hamas was willing to disarm to end the war, although the group repeatedly said it will not put its weapons down.
Israel regards the disarmament of Hamas as an important condition for each deal to end the conflict.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described every future independent Palestinian state as a platform to destroy Israel and said that for that reason the safety control over Palestinian territories should remain with Israel.
He also criticized various countries, including the UK And CanadaTo announce plans to recognize a Palestinian state in response to Gaza’s destruction from the offensive and blockade of Israel.
He called the movement a reward for the behavior of Hamas.
Hamas gives the second video of Israeli hostage
On Sunday Aest, Hamas released his second video in two days of Israeli hostage agent Evyatar David. In it, David, Skeletdun, is shown to dig a hole, that, he says in the video, is for his own grave.
“They are on the absolute edge of death,” said David’s brother Ilay during a meeting to support the hostages in Tel Aviv, where thousands gathered those posters of people in captivity and sang for their immediate release.
“In the current unimaginable condition, they may only have days to live.”
The war started when Hamas-guided militants stormed in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and 251 hostages taken back to Gaza.
The subsequent military attack by Israel on Gaza has turned a large part of the enclave into a wasteland, killing more than 60,000 Palestinians and a humanitarian catastrophe is created.
Almost a week has passed since Israel, under international pressure in the midst of growing scenes of starving children, limited humanitarian breaks and airdrops announced intended to get more food for Gazas more than two million people.
But the United Nations, Partners and Palestinians say that there is still far too little help, with months of stocks piled outside Gaza waiting for Israeli approval.
The leading international authority on food crises this week said that a “sausage-case scenario of famine” took place in the besieged enclave.
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