Istanbul, Turkiye

A top Hamas official has stated that the militant group was ready to lay down arms for five years or more, if an independent Palestinian state is established along the pre-1967 borders.

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This significant statement was made by Hamas political official Khalil al-Hayya during an interview with news agency Associated Press on Wednesday (Apr 24) in Istanbul. The top Hamas official also said that the group would convert into a political party.

A significant concession

As per the report, the suggestion that the Hamas would disarm appeared to be a "significant concession" by the militant group which is officially committed to Israel's destruction.

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However, it is unlikely that Tel Aviv would even consider a truce. Israel, after the deadly Oct 7 attacks, had vowed to crush Hamas. Moreover, Israel's current leadership has been adamantly opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state on lands the nation captured during the 1967 Mideast war.

A 'fully sovereign Palestinian state'

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Al-Hayya, who has previously represented the Palestinian militants in negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage exchange, said that Hamas would accept "a fully sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the return of Palestinian refugees in accordance with the international resolutions".

He stated that if the demand is met, Hamas's military wing would dissolve, turning into a political party.

"All the experiences of people who fought against occupiers, when they became independent and obtained their rights and their state, what have these forces done? They have turned into political parties and their defending fighting forces have turned into the national army?".

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AP reports that even as Hamas at times softens its public position about the possibility of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, it officially continues to reject "any alternative to the full liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea". Here 'river to the sea' refers to the area reaching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea — including lands that now make up Israel.

The Hamas leader, however, failed to explicitly specify whether the two-state solution would mean an end to the Palestinian-Israel conflict or if it would merely be an interim step towards Hamas' goal of destroying Israel.

(With inputs from agencies)