The Palestinian radical movement Hamas has rejected Israel's demand to disarm and withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip, the representative of the organization Hazem Qassem announced.
„Israel's condition for Hamas' withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is absurd psychological warfare, the disarmament and departure of the resistance from Gaza is unacceptable. "Any agreement on the future of the Gaza Strip will be made on the basis of a national consensus," Al Jazeera quoted a Hamas official as saying.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday that Israel would not allow Hamas to maintain any presence in the Gaza Strip after the fighting there ends and demanded the complete disarmament of Gaza.