Hamas said it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established, denying reported remarks by US special envoy Steve Witkoff saying the group was ready to put down its arms.
In a statement on Saturday, the Palestinian group said its "armed resistance ... cannot be relinquished except through the full restoration of our national rights, foremost among them the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital."
Hamas also criticised Mr Witkoff’s visit to the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) amid mass starvation in the enclave and reports of hundreds of Palestinian aid seekers being killed near the agency’s distribution sites since May.
“The American administration is a full partner in the crime of starvation and genocide,” Hamas said. It described Mr Witkoff’s visit as “nothing more than a pre-arranged theatrical performance” to provide Israel with “political cover” as it starves Palestinians.
Mr Witkoff said he and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee spent more than five hours inside Gaza on Friday "assessing conditions" and speaking to staff from the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The visit by Mr Witkoff and Mr Huckabee came after Mr Trump lamented the dire aid situation in Gaza. He described it as “terrible”, despite Israeli claims that there is “no starvation policy” in the enclave.
Mr Witkoff reportedly told hostage families during a visit to Tel Aviv on Saturday that Arab countries were calling on Hamas to disarm, according to Hebrew media accounts. He also reportedly said the group was ready to give up its arms.
Videos online showed him arriving to meet the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, as families chanted "Bring them home!" and "We need your help."
Of the 251 hostages taken during the Hamas attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
After the meeting, the forum released a statement saying Mr Witkoff had given them a personal commitment that he and US President Donald Trump would work to return the remaining hostages.
Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at winning a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and deal for the release of half the hostages ended last week in deadlock.
In an attempt to further pressure Israel into a ceasefire, Hamas released a second video in two days of a hostage on Saturday.
"The deliberate starvation of our son as part of a propaganda campaign is one of the most horrifying acts the world has seen. He is being starved purely to serve Hamas's propaganda," the family said.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Saturday also denounced the videos as "despicable".
"They must be freed, without conditions," he posted on X. "Hamas must be disarmed and excluded from ruling Gaza."
The US, along with Egypt and Qatar, has been mediating ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel that would allow the hostages to be released and humanitarian aid to flow.
