Hamas Ultimatum: It Will Lay Down Its Arms When a Palestinian State Is Established

The terrorist group Hamas said on Saturday that it would not lay down its arms until an independent Palestinian state is established with Jerusalem as its capital.

In a statement, Hamas said: "Armed resistance cannot cease except for the full restoration of our national rights, including, in particular, the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital."

The declaration was made on the day of the visit of US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Tel Aviv, where he met with the families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas.

Witkoff told the crowd that the majority of Israelis and Gazans want the hostages to return home.

There are still 49 people in the Gaza Strip, dead or alive, who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from Israeli territory during an attack in October 2023. The attack sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed over 60,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Hamas has killed 1,200 people and abducted 251 in 2023.

The US envoy on Friday visited a humanitarian aid distribution center in the Gaza Strip in an area controlled by the Israeli military.

Hamas called his visit to the enclave "a pre-arranged play aimed at misleading public opinion."

The group appealed to the US administration to work towards a ceasefire. (PAP)

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