AP: Hamas willing to accept five year truce, lay down weapons if Palestinian state is formed

Khalil al-Hayya, a top Hamas political official, told the Associated Press that the group would be willing to agree to a five-year truce with Israel, lay down its arms and become a political party if a Palestinian state is formed based on the pre-1967 borders.

Al-Hayya, who has represented Hamas in ceasefire and hostage exchange negotiations, expressed the group's willingness in joining the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), headed by rival party Fatah, to form a unified government in the West Bank and Gaza.

Expressing a surprising support for the two-state solution, al-Hayya 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".