Downing Street declined to say whether Britain would recognise Palestine with Hamas still in power.
Number 10 also refused to be drawn on whether the release of all Israeli hostages was a condition for recognition, but insisted they must be freed āunconditionally and immediatelyā.
Concerns have been raised over the UKās plans to recognise a Palestinian state after Hamas member Ghazi Hamad appeared to claim the āfruitsā of October 7 had caused the world to āopen its eyes to the Palestinian issueā.
Asked on Monday whether formalising the move without a ceasefire could embolden Hamas to hold onto Israeli captives, the Prime Ministerās official spokesperson said the government would assess the situation in September.
āThe Prime Minister has been absolutely clear that, on October 7, Hamas perpetrated the worst massacre in Israelās history,ā he said.
āEvery day since then that horror has continuedā¦ as the Foreign Secretary said over the weekend,Ā HamasĀ are rightly pariahs who can have no role in Gazaās future.ā
Asked whether a Palestinian state could be recognised while Hamas are still holding hostages, the spokesperson said that āweāll make an assessment ahead of the UN General Assembly on how far the parties have met the steps that weāve set outā.
āWeāve been very clear thatĀ HamasĀ can have no role in the future governments of Gazaā¦ Weāve also been clear that they must disarm, must release all the hostages.
On whether the step could be taken while Hamas remain in power, the official said the government was clear that āHamas are not the Palestinian peopleā.
āIt is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to have recognition along the lines and the steps that weāve previously set out,ā he said.
āWeāve also been very clear it cannot be in the hands ofĀ Hamas, a terrorist group, to have a veto over recognition of Palestine.ā
Videos released by militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad last week appeared to show Israeli hostages in a visibly fragile state.
Number 10 condemned the images as ācompletely abhorrentā.
Meanwhile, Mr Hamad reportedly told the Al Jazeera news outlet: āThe initiative by several countries to recognise a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of October 7.ā
About 1,200 people were killed by Hamas militants in the 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war and another 251 were abducted.
Israelās retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 60,800 Palestinians, according to Gazaās health ministry.
The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but its figures are seen by the UN and other independent experts as the most reliable count of casualties.
The UK and Jordan have been working together to air drop aid amid warnings of widespread malnourishment in Gaza.
It comes as Britain seeks to put pressure on Israel to change course with a plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September ahead of the UN General Assembly.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK would only refrain from recognising Palestine if Israel allows more aid into Gaza, stops annexing land in the West Bank, agrees to a ceasefire and signs up to a long-term peace process over the next two months.
