According to the Associated Press, a senior Hamas official declared on Wednesday that the terrorist organization would demobilize militarily if a two-state solution were put into effect. The international community is urging Hamas to accept a ceasefire with Israel, which would allow for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region. Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas political official, informed the AP on Wednesday that the terrorist group sees a possible path to a ceasefire with Israel under one condition – the establishment of a ‘completely sovereign Palestinian state.’ al-Hayya stated to the AP that if a true two-state solution were reached, Hamas would disarm, transform solely into a political party, and accept a truce with Israel lasting at least five years. al-Hayya has been a central figure in the ongoing discussions with foreign mediators for a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages in Gaza, according to the AP. “What have these troops done after they have gained independence, achieved their rights, and established their state? They have transformed into political parties, and their militant forces have evolved into the national army,” al-Hayya explained. Yahia al-Sinwar, head of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, stands nearby as a masked fighter from Hamas’s Qassam Brigades displays a firearm allegedly belonging to an Israeli soldier in Gaza City on December 14, 2022. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images) al-Hayya elaborated to the AP that such a state would require territorial sovereignty ‘in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the return of Palestinian refugees in accordance with international resolutions,’ referring to border accords with Israel prior to 1967. al-Hayya did not clarify to the AP whether this would signal the end of Hamas’s broader objective of completely destroying Israel. The Israeli government and a significant portion of the country’s population have consistently rejected the notion of a two-state solution, fearing it would pose a serious threat to national security. This position was reinforced after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing approximately 1,200 people. “Israel flatly rejects international impositions regarding a final settlement with the Palestinians,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a speech in February. “Israel will continue to oppose any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state,” Abdel Halim Badawi (C), a Palestinian who was imprisoned in Israel for 18 years after being found guilty of belonging to the armed wing of Hamas in 2001, holds an assault rifle as he stands among Hamas militants celebrating his release in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on October 17, 2019. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP) (Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images) Hamas has been largely expelled from the northern and central areas of Gaza by Israeli forces. Israel’s plan for the conflict’s following stage is to begin a ground attack in Rafah, the southernmost region of Gaza where the majority of Hamas operatives are still operating. al-Hayya stated on Wednesday that such an assault would be unsuccessful, according to the AP. al-Hayya asserted that Israeli forces ‘have not destroyed more than 20% of (Hamas’) capabilities,’ and coordination between the terrorist group’s political and military wings remains ‘uninterrupted.’ “If they can’t eliminate [Hamas], what is the solution? The answer is to reach a consensus,” al-Hayya told the AP. According to the Times of Israel, recent US intelligence indicates that Israel has substantially crippled Hamas’s capabilities. Netanyahu stated in February that only roughly a quarter of Hamas’s battalions remain intact, primarily in Rafah. The administration and the international community are pressuring Israel against launching a ground attack in Rafah without a practical plan to evacuate the large civilian population that has sought refuge in the area. The New York Times and the AP report that Israel has reportedly begun humanitarian preparations to protect civilians but has yet to start the ground assault. The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hamas Offers Disarmament for Two-State Solution
