Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas delivered a firm message to Hamas and other groups, telling them to give up their weapons to the Palestinian Authority and stressing that only the state of Palestine has the right to govern and provide security in Gaza.

Speaking by video link during a special United Nations General Assembly session on the two-state solution, Abbas set out his vision of one Palestinian state ruled by a single law and protected by a legitimate security force.

"The state of Palestine is the only entity eligible to assume full responsibility for governance and security in Gaza. This comes through an interim administrative committee affiliated with the Palestinian government in the West Bank and Arab and international support and participation," Abbas stated.

Making his position clear, he said, "Hamas will have no role in governing" and added, "Hamas and other factions must surrender their weapons to the Palestinian Authority. What we want is one unified state without weapons, a state with one law and one legitimate security force."

He welcomed the adoption of the New York Declaration at the UN General Assembly in July, calling it "the beginning of an irreversible path" to ending both the humanitarian crisis and the Israeli occupation, in line with international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The declaration envisions an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace alongside Israel.

Abbas urged an immediate and lasting ceasefire, pointing to the need for unhindered humanitarian access through the UN, the release of all hostages and prisoners, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. He also called for urgent reconstruction of Gaza and the West Bank through the Cairo International Conference.

"The declaration stressed that the war against our people must come to an immediate and durable end. It noted that the crimes emanating from the siege, the starvation and destruction cannot be a means of achieving security. Therefore, we call for a permanent ceasefire," he said.

"We need to ensure humanitarian access through the United Nations... We need to guarantee the release of all hostages and prisoners, with the withdrawal of the occupation forces from Gaza. We need a start without delay of Gaza and the West Bank reconstruction through the Cairo International Conference," the president added.

He also condemned the "occupation's crimes" of siege, starvation, and destruction, while criticising Hamas’s October 7, 2023, actions.

"We stress our condemnation of the occupation's crimes. We also condemn the killing and detention of civilians, including Hamas's actions on October the 7th, 2023," he said.

Abbas denounced Israeli policies, including settlement expansion, annexation, settler violence, and attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites.

"We condemn the Israeli narrative on greater Israel, which flouts international law. It represents a direct threat to Arab national security and international peace," he added.

The meeting was co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, where French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France now formally recognises the state of Palestine.