In a seminar held in Gaza city to mark the 62nd anniversary of Al-Nakba, Khalil Al-Hiya said the proposal put forward by Hamas would see the acceptance of a Palestinian state "in stages" and "the return of all refugees without recognizing Israel in exchange for a 10-year truce."

"This means that if the international community grants the right of return to the six million Palestinian refugees across the world to their homes in Hifa, Yaffa and Akko, then there will no longer be an occupying state," he added.

The return of the Palestinian refugees, he added, would signal the end of the Israeli occupation and was paramount in the movement's 1967 border proposal.

He stressed that Israeli is conducting a fierce war to terminate the right of return which is the cornerstone of the Palestinian cause.

"These rights will not be restored but by force," Al-Hiya said.

He explained that the proposal put forward by Hamas to accept a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders greatly differs from that proposed by Fatah.

Al-Hiya called on Fatah to consider other option put forward by Palestinian factions in relation to the peace process.