Betul Yilmaz
19 October 2025•Update: 19 October 2025
ISTANBUL
Hamas on Sunday rejected a statement by the US State Department accusing the group of harming Palestinians and violating a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
The State Department said early Sunday that the US informed guarantor nations of the ceasefire agreement with “credible reports indicating an imminent ceasefire violation by Hamas against the people of Gaza.”
“These false allegations are fully consistent with misleading Israeli propaganda and provide cover for the (Israeli) occupation's continued crimes and organized aggression against our people,” Hamas said on Telegram.
The group accused the Israeli army of arming and funding criminal gangs that carry out atrocities targeting civilians in Gaza and loot aid trucks and Palestinian property.
“The facts on the ground reveal the exact opposite,” Hamas said, citing public confessions made by armed gangs via media reports and video clips confirming “the occupation's involvement in spreading chaos and disrupting security.”
The group affirmed that Gaza’s police forces, supported by the public, are fulfilling their national duty by pursuing these gangs and holding them accountable through clear legal mechanisms.
Hamas called on the US to stop echoing Israel’s misleading narrative and to act against Israeli violations, most notably the financial and logistical backing of criminal gangs.
A ceasefire and hostage swap agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas last week, based on a phased plan presented by US President Donald Trump. Phase one included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.
Since October 2023, the Israeli genocidal war has killed more than 68,100 people and injured 170,200, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
