Hamas claims it will keep fighting in Gaza unless a Palestinian state is established
The militants said Hamas would not stop ' armed resistance ' until an 'independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital" is recognised.
Israel considers the disarmament of Hamas a key condition for any deal to end the conflict, but Hamas has repeatedly said it is not willing to lay down its weapons.
Last week, indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at securing a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and deal for the release of hostages ended in deadlock.
On Tuesday, meditators Qatar and Egypt endorsed a declaration by France and Saudi Arabia outlining steps toward a two-state solution on condition of Hamas handed arms to a Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
Last month, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said any future independent Palestinian state would be a platform to destroy Israel and said, for that reason, security control over the occupied Palestinian territories must remain with Israel.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt last week called for the terrorist group to 'disarm' and disband. It was the first time these countries have condemned Hamas and demanded it play no part in the future of Palestine.
The declaration read: 'In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.'
Mr Netanyahu also criticised several countries, including the UK, for announcing plans to recognise a Palestinian state in response to devastation of Gaza.
The war started when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.
Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has turned much of the enclave into a wasteland, killed over 60,000 Palestinians and set off a humanitarian catastrophe.
Israel and Hamas traded blame after the most recent round of talks ended in an impasse, with gaps lingering over issues including the extent of an Israeli military withdrawal.
Hamas also condemned Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff's visit to an aid distribution centre in Gaza on Friday as "nothing more than a premeditated staged show".
Mr Witkoff and Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, visited a centre run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Hamas said the trip was "designed to mislead public opinion, polish the image of the occupation, and provide it with political cover for its starvation campaign and continued systematic killing of defenceless children and civilians in the Gaza Strip".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
38 minutes ago
- The Independent
Israeli officials launch desperate campaign to stop Netanyahu's Gaza occupation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing significant internal pushback, including from his own military chief, over plans to expand the offensive and occupy remaining parts of Gaza. Military and security officials are warning that a full occupation risks a protracted conflict, endangers remaining hostages, and would further strain the Israeli army. Mr Netanyahu is reportedly under pressure from far-right coalition members who advocate for the destruction of Gaza City and oppose any truce or aid delivery. Critics within Israel, including retired security officials and hostage families, accuse the prime minister of pandering to his far-right allies, fearing his strategy will lead to further devastation and loss of life. The proposed expansion could exacerbate Israel's international isolation, with allies adopting tougher stances amid reports of humanitarian crises and attacks on aid convoys in Gaza, they say.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Calls for UK visas for 80 Palestinian students trapped in Gaza
Refugee charity Positive Action in Housing is leading calls which are demanding the UK Government delay biometric checks for 80 students from Gaza so they can study in the UK. More than 70 MPs have signed a letter addressed to Cooper, the UK Home Secretary, with the charity telling Cooper, "this is life and death". In order to obtain a UK visa, applicants must provide a photo of their face, as well as their fingerprints. READ MORE: David Pratt: Netanyahu makes more enemies by the day within Israel's military The UK did have an authorised centre in Gaza that was able to process biometric data, but it was closed in October 2023 after the 7 October Hamas attack, and as Israel's war in response to the atrocity got under way. Robina Qureshi, CEO of Positive Action in Housing, said: 'France, Ireland, Belgium and Germany have already evacuated Palestinian students from Gaza. The UK must follow suit by deferring biometric checks until they arrive—just as was done for Ukrainian refugees. 'These brilliant students have studied through the worst imaginable circumstances. Imagine your home being bombed, your university destroyed, your lecturers killed. And yet they remained focused. Gaza has one of the highest numbers of advanced PhDs per capita in the world. We cannot leave them to die behind sealed borders because of red tape. We need to get them out now. 'These students are not refusing to comply—they can't. The biometric centre was destroyed in 2023. They are living under aerial assault, queuing at bombed aid sites, watching famine spread. 'This is life and death. We cannot resort to bureaucratic excuses.' 'These students are Sophie's choice. If we don't bring them here to take up their university places, we risk leaving them to die. There is no neutral ground. Qureshi quoted Barry Gardiner, one of the Labour MPs who has signed the letter, who said "these students are the future of Palestine", adding: "Denying them entry is not just cruel—it is a calculated blow to Palestine's ability to rebuild. It is structural erasure, masked as policy." Qureshi (above) also issued a direct condemnation of Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who said biometric checks must not be waived: 'Chris Philp effectively wants to sign a death sentence for 80 Palestinian students—but he didn't say that three years ago when this country waived biometric requirements for Ukrainians in 2022. Why the selective compassion now? Any refusal to do so now exposes racist double standards at the heart of British policy. 'You cannot demand compliance with a procedure that is physically impossible under siege, bombardment and famine. These students have only one hope: confirmed university places in the UK. And he wants to take that away? 'Biometric data can be collected post-arrival or in a safe third country like Jordan, but the UK must offer safe passage. 'Philp also implies that one potential security risk is reason enough to block all 80 students. That's collective punishment. As Barry Gardiner rightly said: 'You don't say, 'somebody might break the law, so we're not going to allow anybody to come.'' READ MORE: John Swinney to consider imposing state boycott on Israel Conservative MP and shadow home secretary Chris Philp had said: "We should not be deferring biometric checks. These are an essential part of our security arrangements, and they should not be waived or delayed until arrival in the UK - by which time it is too late." The charity further urged people across the UK to write to their MPs and call on the Home Secretary "to do the right thing". Qureshi added: "Follow the lead of other European governments. Act now, before it's too late. These students must be evacuated immediately out of the warzone, so they can start their courses in September. We are ready to house them through our Room for Refugees programme. We must move the earth to get people out of Gaza.'
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Indonesia readies island medical facility for 2,000 wounded Gazans
JAKARTA, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Indonesia will convert a medical facility on its currently uninhabited island of Galang to treat about 2,000 wounded residents of Gaza, who will return home after recovery, a presidential spokesperson said on Thursday. Muslim-majority Indonesia has sent humanitarian aid to Gaza after Israel started an offensive in October 2023 that Gaza health officials say has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, whether fighters or non-combatants. "Indonesia will give medical help for about 2,000 Gaza residents who became victims of war, those who are wounded, buried under debris," the spokesperson, Hasan Nasbi, told reporters, adding that the exercise was not an evacuation. Indonesia plans to allocate the facility on Galang island, off its island of Sumatra and south of Singapore, to treat wounded Gaza residents and temporarily shelter their families, he said, adding that nobody lived around it now. The patients would be taken back to Gaza after they had healed, he said. Hasan did not give a timeframe or further details, referring questions to Indonesia's foreign and defence ministries, which did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The plan comes months after President Prabowo Subianto's offer to shelter wounded Palestinians drew criticism from Indonesia's top clerics for seeming too close to U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion of permanently moving Palestinians out of Gaza. In response to Trump's suggestion, the foreign ministry of Indonesia, which backs a two-state solution to resolve the Middle East crisis, said at the time it "strongly rejects any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians". A hospital to treat victims of the COVID-19 pandemic opened in 2020 on Galang, which had been until 1996 a sprawling refugee camp run by the United Nations, housing 250,000 of those who fled the Vietnam War.
