Wednesday, April 24th, a top Hamas political official said the group is willing to agree to a truce of five years or more with Israel and that it would lay down its weapons and convert into a political party if an independent Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The comments by Khalil al-Hayya in an interview Wednesday came amid a stalemate in months of talks for a ceasefire in Gaza. The suggestion that Hamas would disarm appeared to be a significant concession by the militant group officially committed to Israel’s destruction.
Speaking to the AP in Istanbul, Al-Hayya said Hamas wants to join the Palestine Liberation Organization, headed by the rival Fatah faction, to form a unified government for Gaza and the West Bank. He said 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,” along Israel’s pre-1967 borders.
He said the group’s military wing would dissolve if that happens.
It’s unlikely Israel would consider such a scenario. It has vowed to crush Hamas following the deadly Oct. 7 attacks that triggered the war, and its current leadership is adamantly opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state on lands Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.
This story will be updated with new information.
Contact the Daily News with comments at editor@bsudailynews.com or on Twitter @bsudailynews.
Read More
Over 3,000 Cardinals join the Ball State family of alumni following commencement
By Ella Howell / 2 hours agoThe Quad filled with approximately 3,000 graduating Cardinals and their loved ones the morning of May 4 in preparation for the 198th Ball State University Commencement.
Board of Trustees approves new Ball State Athletics Performance Center during May meeting
By Olivia Ground / 21 hours agoThe Board of Trustees met May 3, revealing plans for an upcoming renovation of the College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) building, plans for an upcoming sports performance training center, changes in the university core curriculum and many hiring and human resources developments being made in the upcoming months.
