The militant organisation Hamas, on Saturday, said it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established.

“The resistance and its weapons are a national and legal right as long as the (Israeli) occupation continues,” the Palestinian group said in a statement.

It added that it would not give up “the resistance and its weapons… until our full national rights are restored, foremost among them the establishment of a fully sovereign, independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.”

Hamas was responding to statements reportedly made by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting with hostage families in Tel Aviv.

Mr Witkoff reportedly cited Hamas as saying it was ready to demilitarise, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

“We are very close to ending this war,” the group quoted him as saying.

According to Israeli sources, 50 hostages remain in the custody of Hamas and other groups, with at least 20 believed to still be alive.

Months of efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages through indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are currently considered to have failed.

The unprecedented terrorist attack on October 7, 2023 triggered the Gaza war.

The attackers killed more than 1,200 people and abducted another 250 to the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground offensive.

According to the Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza, 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict so far.

The figure does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, though the vast majority of victims are said to be women, minors and the elderly.

France, Britain, and Canada, in a shift in their policies, have in recent days announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state.

London and Ottawa have attached conditions to the plans, including the disarmament of Hamas, its release of all remaining hostages, and its exclusion from any future government of Gaza.

 (dpa/NAN)