Gaza War: Hamas rejects disarmament without a Palestinian state

The Islamist Hamas in the contested Gaza Strip decides decide to remove its weapons as long as no independent Palestinian state is founded. The armed resistance can only be abandoned if the rights of the Palestinians are completely realized, in particular the establishment of an independent and completely sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital, according to an explanation of Islamist terrorist organization.

The Hamas reacted to statements by the US specialist Steve Witkoff, who, according to media reports, said at a meeting with relatives of the hostages that were still captured in the Gaza Strip that the Hamas was according to demilitarization. “We are about to the end of this war,” said Witkoff, according to a message from the forum of the hostage families at the meeting in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. “We have a plan to end the war and bring everyone home.”

Hamas claims the entire historical Palestine – including today’s territory of Israel. In a basic paper from 2017, however, she accepts a Palestinian state within the borders of 1967 – that is, consisting of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. She does not recognize Israel’s right to exist. Israel’s government is also against a two -state solution. There is the opinion that the West Bank and East Jerusalem are due to historical and religious reasons.