Hamas on Saturday issued its firmest refusal yet to disarm, declaring that its fighters “will not relinquish our weapons” unless a “fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital” is established, branding disarmament a condition intrinsically tied to the restoration of Palestinian national rights.
The statement came amid a breakdown of indirect negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt, which had sought to broker a 60‑day ceasefire and hostage release. The mediators had endorsed a joint diplomatic declaration by France and Saudi Arabia calling for Hamas to hand over its arms and cede control of Gaza to the internationally‑backed Palestinian Authority, but Hamas rejected any disarmament without statehood in hand.
Hamas said it issued the declaration in response to media reports suggesting U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff claimed the group was ready to disarm. It characterised Witkoff’s Gaza visit as a “premeditated staged show” and reaffirmed that armed resistance remains a legal “national right” until occupation ends.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had made clear after repeated talks that disarmament is non‑negotiable. Defence officials and hard‑line ministers have since floated plans, including annexation of parts of Gaza, to ensure security control remains firmly with Israel even if forms of Palestinian statehood proceed —a scenario Hassan Trump’s administration opposes.
Meanwhile, international momentum for recognizing a Palestinian state has surged in recent weeks. France, Britain and Canada are preparing to formally acknowledge statehood at the U.N. General Assembly in September amid growing frustration over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and concern that the two‑state solution is being eroded in real time.
