Hamas insists on keeping arms until Palestinian state formed.
Hamas has stated that it will not disarm unless a sovereign Palestinian state is established, in response to a key demand from Israel during ceasefire talks in Gaza.
The Palestinian armed group's response came after remarks attributed to US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, suggesting that Hamas was willing to lay down its weapons.
Israel sees the disarmament of Hamas as one of the crucial conditions for ending the conflict.
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire and the release of hostages hit a deadlock recently.
Arab nations have urged Hamas to disarm and relinquish control of Gaza, following announcements by Western countries like France and Canada to recognize a Palestinian state. The UK also indicated it would do so if Israel did not meet specific conditions by September.
Hamas, designated as a terrorist group in the US, UK, and EU, emphasized in its statement that it could not give up its right to "resistance and its weapons" unless an "independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital" was established.
Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) Lt Gen Eyal Zamir warned that fighting in Gaza would continue without a break if negotiations failed to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The family of hostage Evyatar David accused Hamas of starving him as part of a propaganda effort after a video was released showing him in poor condition in a tunnel. They appealed to the Israeli government and the US to take all possible actions to save him.
Steve Witkoff visited Israel amid mounting pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
UN agencies have raised concerns about man-made mass starvation in Gaza, attributing it to Israel's control over the entry of supplies to the territory. Israel denies imposing restrictions on aid deliveries and refutes claims of starvation.
Witkoff met with families of Israeli hostages in Tel Aviv and emphasized the need to focus on ending the conflict and bringing back all hostages, rather than pursuing a partial deal.
During his visit, Witkoff met with Netanyahu and inspected an aid site in southern Gaza that has faced criticism.
According to the latest UN figures, at least 1,373 Palestinians have died while seeking food since late May. The UN states that most of the deaths occurred near Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution sites.
Israel has accused Hamas of causing chaos near the sites and maintains that its troops do not intentionally target civilians.
The Israeli military launched an operation in Gaza following a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in about 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages.
Since then, over 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with 169 deaths, including 93 children, attributed to malnutrition, as reported by Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.