Khalil Al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, said that the movement is ready to agree to a truce for a period of five years or more, give up its weapons and transform into a political party if an independent Palestinian state is established on the 1967 borders.

Al-Hayya added that the Hamas movement will accept a fully sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, and the return of Palestinian refugees in accordance with international resolutions on the 1967 borders. He added, “If that happens, the movement’s military wing, which is the Al-Qassam Brigades, will be dissolved.”

Al-Hayya pointed out during an interview with the Associated Press, "All the experiences of those who struggled against the occupiers indicate that when they became independent and obtained their rights and their state, they turned into political parties, and the fighting forces defending them turned into the national army."

He stated that Hamas wants to join the Palestine Liberation Organization, which is headed by Fatah, to form a unified government for Gaza and the West Bank.

As for Israel's plans to invade the city of Rafah, Al-Hayya said that such an attack will not succeed in destroying the movement, adding that the occupation army did not destroy more than 20 percent of Hamas' capabilities.