Hamas has categorically denied reports that it would consider disarmament, declaring it will only lay down arms if an independent Palestinian state is established with Jerusalem as its capital. The militant group issued a forceful statement on Saturday rejecting claims attributed to US envoy Steve Witkoff suggesting the organisation had shown willingness to disarm.
The Palestinian resistance movement condemned Witkoff’s visit to a Gaza aid distribution centre on Friday as “nothing more than a premeditated staged show” designed to provide political cover for what it called Israel’s “starvation campaign” in the enclave. The US Middle East envoy spent over five hours touring facilities run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) alongside US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
Hamas stated: “We reaffirm that resistance and its arms are a legitimate national and legal right as long as the occupation continues. This right is recognised by international laws and norms, and it cannot be relinquished except through the full restoration of our national rights – first and foremost, the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
Deaths Mount at Aid Distribution Sites
The diplomatic spat comes as Gaza health officials reported 18 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Saturday, including eight who were attempting to access food. According to the United Nations human rights office, at least 859 people have been killed “in the vicinity” of GHF aid sites since the organisation began operations on 27 May.
Witness Yahia Youssef told Reuters he helped carry three people wounded by gunshots and saw others lying on the ground near a food distribution centre. When questioned about the incidents, GHF claimed “nothing happened at or near our sites,” despite multiple eyewitness accounts of violence.
Dr Tom Adamkiewicz, working at a Gaza hospital, described the situation as barbaric, stating Palestinian children, women and men are “being shot at, basically like rabbits.” He told Sky News it represents a “level of barbarity I don’t think the world has seen.”
Nurse Condemns US Visit as ‘PR Stunt’
Elidalis Burges, a critical care nurse working in Gaza, dismissed the American officials’ visit as a public relations exercise. I think the visit to the GHF site was just a controlled visit dictated by the Israeli military,” she said. “If they really wanted people to see what is happening here, they would allow international journalists from around the world to enter.”
The GHF, established in May with US and Israeli backing to sideline UN aid operations, has been mired in controversy since its inception. Over 200 NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam, have called for the immediate dismantling of what they describe as “a slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid.”
The organisation operates just four distribution sites compared to the UN’s previous 400 points across Gaza, forcing two million Palestinians to travel dangerous distances through militarised zones where they face daily gunfire whilst attempting to obtain food.
Witkoff Claims Progress on Aid Understanding
Following his Gaza visit, Witkoff posted on X that the purpose was to give President Trump “a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza.” Trump later acknowledged there was “real starvation” in Gaza, contradicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s previous claims.
Huckabee praised the GHF after the visit, claiming it delivers “more than one million meals a day” and that Hamas “hates” the organisation because aid reaches Palestinians without going through the militant group. However, aid agencies note this amounts to just over one meal per day for 47 days for each of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents since operations began nearly 70 days ago.
A senior Israeli official revealed on Thursday that Israel and the US are forming a new understanding on Gaza following Hamas’s reported withdrawal from ceasefire negotiations. The official stated: “An understanding is forming between Israel and the United States that, in light of Hamas’s refusal, there is a need to shift from a framework focused on the release of some of the hostages to one aimed at the release of all hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas Releases Hostage Video
Amidst the escalating tensions, Hamas released a video showing Israeli hostage Evyatar David in what appears to be a tunnel. Mr David was taken from the Nova Music Festival on 7 October 2023. His family have given permission for media outlets to show the footage.
The Israel Defence Forces has repeatedly rejected claims of intentional harm to civilians, blaming Hamas for the violence around aid sites. However, Human Rights Watch accused Israeli troops of committing war crimes, stating the “dire humanitarian situation is a direct result of Israel’s use of starvation of civilians as a weapon of war.
War’s Devastating Toll
The war began when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in an attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and abducted 251 others. Of those hostages, Hamas still holds around 50, with 20 believed to be alive.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between militants and civilians. The humanitarian crisis has deepened with Israel maintaining strict controls over aid entering the territory.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief has criticised the GHF mechanism, stating the EU does not support “any kind of privatisation of the distribution of humanitarian aid.” Leaders from the UK, France and Canada have threatened “concrete action,” including targeted sanctions, if Israel continues blocking aid from entering Gaza.
As diplomatic efforts remain stalled and the humanitarian crisis worsens, Hamas’s firm rejection of disarmament without statehood sets the stage for continued conflict, with Palestinian civilians bearing the heaviest burden of the ongoing war.
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