A senior Hamas official said that if a Palestinian state is formed, they will lay down their weapons.
A senior Hamas political figure told The Associated Press that the group is willing to agree to a five-year or longer truce with Israel and will place their weapons on the ground if an independent Palestinian state is established, transforming into a political party.
Khalil al-Hayya emphasized in interviews conducted on Thursday in Istanbul with this news agency that Hamas is ready to join the Palestinian Liberation Organization to form a unified government for Gaza and the West Bank.