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Hamas ‘will not disarm’ until Palestine state created
The Independent
|August 03, 2025
Hamas said yesterday that it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established - a fresh rebuke to a key Israeli demand to end the war in Gaza.
Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at securing a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and a deal for the release of hostages ended last week in deadlock.
On Tuesday, Qatar and Egypt, who are mediating ceasefire efforts, endorsed a declaration by France and Saudi Arabia outlining steps toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and saying that as part of this, Hamas must hand over its arms to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
In its statement, Hamas - which has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007 but has been militarily battered by Israel in the war - said it could not yield its right to “armed resistance” unless an “independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital” is established.
This story is from the August 03, 2025 edition of The Independent.
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