Hamas Sets Terms For Disarmament

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HAMAS: ‘The resistance and its weapons will not be abandoned until our full national rights are restored, foremost among which is the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state’

Hamas affirmed its refusal to disarm until the establishment of the State of Palestine, in response to statements by U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

Hamas said in a statement that, “The resistance and its weapons will not be abandoned until our full national rights are restored, foremost among which is the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state.”

During his meeting with the families of Israeli hostages at a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday, Witkoff said, “Hamas has said that they are prepared to be demilitarized.”

“Multiple Arab governments are now demanding that Hamas demilitarize… So we are very, very close to a solution to end this war,” Witkoff added, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

In a separate statement, Hamas accused Witkoff’s visit to aid distribution centers in the Gaza Strip of being “a pre-scripted theatrical performance designed to mislead public opinion, whitewash the occupation’s image, and provide political cover for its starvation policies and systematic killing of innocent children and civilians in Gaza.”

The statement said the U.S. administration is “fully complicit in these starvation crimes.”

Witkoff visited the Gaza Strip on Friday, where he inspected a controversial aid distribution center of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

(141108) — RAMALLAH, Nov. 8, 2014 (Xinhua) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Nov. 8, 2014. (Xinhua/Fadi Arouri)(bxq)

Abbas’s Vision

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the Palestinian leadership wants a demilitarized Palestinian state, including the Gaza Strip.

His remarks came during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul at the presidential headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Abbas stressed that the priority now is an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the entry of humanitarian aid to stop “the war of starvation,” and the release of hostages and prisoners.

He emphasized the need for the State of Palestine to assume its full responsibilities in the Gaza Strip with Arab and international support, and for a complete Israeli withdrawal.

He also called on Israel to halt settlement activity in the West Bank, halt annexation attempts, and halt “settler terrorism,” as well as release withheld Palestinian funds.

Abbas affirmed his readiness to hold general elections, which will not include political forces and individuals who do not adhere to the program and commitments of the Palestine Liberation Organization, international legitimacy, and the principle of one state, one law, and “one legitimate weapon.”

For his part, the German minister, according to WAFA, emphasized the importance for the State of Palestine to assume administration of the Gaza Strip after the end of the war, as it is the only legitimate entity representing the Palestinians and it is essential for it to contribute to the reconstruction of Gaza.

He emphasized his country’s readiness to provide the necessary support and contributions to the Palestinian Authority in its reconstruction efforts.

He called on Israel to release the Palestinian funds it is withholding, noting that these funds are a right of the Palestinians, and the continued withholding poses a threat to stability.

Border Restrictions

The Palestinian government on Saturday urged the international community to increase pressure on Israel to reopen Gaza’s border crossings fully, as Israel said fresh aid packages continued to be airdropped throughout the strip.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said 90 aid packages containing food supplies were airdropped on Saturday throughout the Gaza Strip, as part of broader efforts to enhance humanitarian aid in the territory.

The airdrops were conducted in coordination with Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), along with Germany and France, both of which joined the aid operation on Friday.

The IDF stated it will keep working with the international community to improve humanitarian efforts in the Strip, while denying allegations of deliberately causing starvation.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian government on Saturday urged the international community to increase pressure on Israel to fully reopen Gaza’s border crossings, amid the backlog of thousands of aid trucks at the entrances to the Strip, according to an official statement.

“The food insecurity levels in the Gaza Strip have reached 100 percent, according to reports from specialized UN organizations,” the government said, stressing the need to “stop the escalating use of hunger as a weapon to kill the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”

Earlier on Saturday, Palestine’s official news agency WAFA reported that 18 Palestinian aid seekers were killed by Israeli fire in two incidents in the central Gaza Strip.

Hospitals in the Gaza Strip recorded seven new deaths in the past 24 hours due to starvation and malnutrition, including one child, bringing the total number of starvation victims since October 2023 to 169, including 93 children, Gaza-based health authorities said on Saturday.

In a separate statement on Saturday, the IDF said it struck over 130 militant targets across the Gaza Strip over the weekend.

In the northern Gaza Strip, IDF armored troops killed four Hamas militants in an airstrike. In the south, IDF troops killed militants and dismantled militant infrastructure and weapons, according to the statement.

The military also announced the killing of Salah al-Din Za’atra in a July 24 airstrike. Za’atra, identified as the deputy commander of Hamas’ Al-Furqan Battalion, was accused of orchestrating attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. ■

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Ashok Parameswar

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