Hamas says it won’t disarm unless independent Palestinian state established

The Palestinian group Hamas said on Saturday that it would not lay down arms unless an independent Palestinian state is established.

In a statement, 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.”

In parallel, at least 36 people, including 13 aid seekers, have so far been killed on Saturday in Zionist occupation attacks across Gaza, while seven more people, including one child, have died due to “famine and malnutrition”, bringing the number of deaths from starvation to 169, including 93 children, according to Gaza Health Ministry.

The Zionist occupation’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed at least 60,430 people and wounded 148,722 others since October 2023.