Hamas Rejects Disarmament, Criticizes US Envoy’s Gaza Visit
Hamas on Saturday firmly rejected disarmament, declaring it would not lay down its weapons “as long as the occupation exists.” The statement came in response to reported comments by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff suggesting the group was ready to demilitarize.
Reaffirming its commitment to armed resistance, Hamas said its actions were justified under international law until the Palestinian people achieve their national rights — primarily, the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The group also sharply criticized Witkoff’s visit to a humanitarian aid center run by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), calling the visit “provocative.” Hamas referenced ongoing reports of severe hunger in Gaza and alleged that hundreds of Palestinians seeking aid had been killed near GHF’s four distribution centers in the southern and central parts of the enclave since mid-May.
Hamas on Saturday accused the United States of being “a full partner in the crime of starvation and genocide” in Gaza, following the visit of U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to an aid distribution center. The group described Witkoff’s appearance as “a pre-arranged theatrical performance” aimed at giving Israel “political cover to manage starvation and continue the systematic killing of children and unarmed civilians.”
Hamas called on the United States to “shoulder its historical responsibility” by withdrawing support from what it called “the crime of the century in Gaza” and working toward a ceasefire that would end Israeli military operations.
Israel has strongly denied accusations of genocide, asserting that it takes steps to limit harm to civilians during its operations against Hamas. Israeli officials maintain that Hamas deliberately endangers civilians by embedding its fighters and infrastructure within populated areas and using civilians as human shields. They have also rejected claims of intentionally starving Gaza’s population, accusing Hamas of diverting and hijacking humanitarian aid — including from UN deliveries — to support its militant activities.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), established to bypass Hamas in the distribution of aid, began operations in May. Its launch marked a shift away from the long-standing UN-led humanitarian system, coinciding with Israel’s gradual easing of a more than two-month-long aid blockade on Gaza.
However, GHF’s approach has drawn sharp criticism from other humanitarian organizations, many of which have declined to cooperate. They argue that the foundation’s distribution model exposes aid-seekers to serious danger.
Since GHF began operating, both Hamas’s civil defense agency and international journalists inside Gaza have reported repeated incidents where Israeli forces allegedly opened fire on crowds of desperate Palestinian civilians attempting to access aid at GHF distribution centers.
Israel has accused Hamas of attacking Gazan aid seekers and falsifying death tolls, but has also acknowledged that Palestinian civilians have been killed near GHF aid distribution sites. The IDF says troops have been issued new instructions following what it called “lessons learned.”
