Hamas, the Palestinian resistance movement, has denied reports claiming they have agreed to disarm. These reports were attributed to Steve Wittcoff, a special envoy of US President Donald Trump, who made these claims during a meeting with families of hostages held by Hamas. Wittcoff stated that Hamas had agreed to disarm during informal discussions with the Israelis. However, Hamas has refuted this claim. Hamas stated that there is only one way they would agree to cease their jihad against the Israeli colonial power and disarm: the recognition of Palestinian independence, the establishment of an independent state, and the guarantee of all rights for the Palestinian people by the Israelis.
“[Resistance and the use of weapons against Israeli colonial rule is [Palestinian fighters’] national and legal right] as long as the occupation continues,” Hamas said in a statement. The group added that they would not relinquish this right until the freedom of the Palestinian people is secured. Hamas’s condition is the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty, along with the recognition of Jerusalem as its capital.
On October 7, 2023, Israel began a genocide against the people of Gaza, Palestine. The death toll from this massacre has risen to 60,000, with the majority being innocent women, children, and the elderly. Israel continues to commit atrocities to starve the 2.3 million people living in Gaza. To control all food distribution in Gaza, Israel, in collaboration with US President Donald Trump, has established an organization called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Wittcoff recently visited an aid distribution center set up by GHF. Hamas stated that the main goal of his trip was to hide and misrepresent the true situation faced by the people of Gaza. The Israeli forces, in cooperation with GHF, have been committing atrocities to kill Gaza’s residents. The United Nations has revealed that the number of people killed in Israeli attacks near GHF aid distribution centers has risen to 1,300.
