A senior member in the ranks of Hamas, the Islamist group in
power in the Gaza strip, claimed victory on Friday in a speech to thousands of
people celebrating the ceasefire between the group and Israel, AFP reported.

“This is the euphoria of victory,” Khalil
al-Hayya, one of the senior members of Hamas’ political bureau, was quoted by
AFP as saying, promising to reconstruct the homes destroyed by Israeli air
strikes.

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Reportedly, the ceasefire was orchestrated by both Egypt and
the second most powerful armed group in Gaza, Islamic Jihad, after
international pressure to stop the destruction mounted on both sides.

The announcement by Hamas comes after 11 days of relentless attacks from both sides, with Israeli air strikes in Gaza devastating the Palestinian population, killing 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, and injuring 1,900, AFP referred to data from the Gaza health ministry as indicating.

According to Hamas authorities, about 122,000 people have been displaced.

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Rockets from Hamas, on the other hand, have forced Israeli citizens to take shelter, with the Israeli army saying that Hamas and similar groups have fired close to 4,300 rockets over Israel throughout the course of the short, intense conflict.

An majority of the rockets, however, were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system.

Also read: Israel agrees on ‘unconditional’ ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza

The rockets reportedly killed a total of 12 people in Israel, including two children and a Israeli soldier.

An Indian and two Thai nationals were also killed due to the rocket attacks.