Leader of Palestinian Hamas group in the Gaza strip dismissed US and Israeli demands that it lay down its arms and recognize the Zionist entity, saying the resistance movement is instead debating “when to wipe out Israel.”

The remarks came during a closed roundtable discussion between Yahya Sinwar and Gazan youth about the ongoing reconciliation negotiations with rival Palestinian faction Fatah, to which some media outlets were invited to attend.

“Over is the time Hamas spent discussing recognizing Israel. Now Hamas will discuss when we will wipe out Israel,” Sinwar said, according to the Hamas-linked news agency Shehab.

“No one in the universe can disarm us. On the contrary, we will continue to have the power to protect our citizens,” Sinwar said, according to the official statement.

“No one has the ability to extract from us recognition of the occupation.”

Meanwhile, Sinwar lauded support provided by the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Palestinian resistance, saying Tehran is the number one supporter of Hamas’ military wing Al-Qssam Brigades.

On the other hand, Hamas leader in Gaza also vowed to free Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, stressing that this issue is “our responsibility.”

Sinwar’s comments on Thursday came after an aide of US President Donald Trump said that an emerging Palestinian unity government must recognize the Zionist entity and disarm Hamas.

“Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognize the state of Israel, accept previous agreements and obligations between the parties — including to disarm terrorists — and commit to peaceful negotiations,” Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s special representative for international negotiations, said in a statement.

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