Hamas on Saturday firmly rejected claims it has agreed to disarm as part of the ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel, asserting its “national and legal” right to resist what it calls the “Israeli occupation.” The denial, reported by Al Jazeera, was issued in response to remarks allegedly made by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.Also Read | Middle East crisis: Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; ceasefire on agenda According to Israeli daily Haaretz, a recording of Witkoff’s meeting with families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza revealed he told them Hamas was “prepared to be demilitarised.” The Palestinian militant group swiftly dismissed the claim.“The resistance and its weapons are a national and legal right as long as the [Israeli] occupation persists,” it said in a statement. “This right cannot be relinquished until our full national rights are restored—foremost among them, the establishment of a fully sovereign, independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.”Witkoff’s alleged comments came during a visit to Israel’s Tel Aviv, where he met with the hostage families, following a trip to an aid distribution site in Gaza run by the American- and Israeli-backed Global Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Hamas, which has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007, condemned his visit as to the enclave as a “staged show” aimed at deflecting attention from the deepening humanitarian crisis. Citing a United Nations report, the group accused GHF of failing to ensure civilian safety, alleging that over 1,300 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to access food from GHF-operated sites since May. Despite mounting international criticism, the United States last month announced an additional $30 million in funding for the organisation.Witkoff’s reported remarks also come as international momentum grows toward recognising Palestinian statehood. The UK has announced it could follow France in formally recognising a Palestinian state in September, should Israel not agree to a ceasefire. At a recent UN conference in New York, Brtitsh foreign secretary David Lammy reaffirmed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s position, noting that recognition would be conditional. The conference concluded with 17 nations, the European Union, and the Arab League backing a two-state solution. Their joint statement called on Hamas to cede control of Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, under international oversight.
