HAMAS would observe a truce with Israel of five years or more and convert into a political party if an independent Palestinian state was established along the pre-1967 borders, a top official with the Islamist group has said.

Khalil al-Hayya spoke to the Associated Press news agency in Istanbul on Wednesday night amid a stalemate in months of talks aimed at agreeing a ceasefire in Gaza.

The suggestion that Hamas would disarm appeared to be a significant concession, given that the militant group is officially committed to Israel’s destruction.