Skip to main content

Israel gained upper hand in final days of war

Israel’s withdrawal of ground forces, and focus on air power, gave it the upper hand in pressuring the Palestinian resistance factions to a truce.
Palestinians gather around the remains of a commercial center, which witnesses said was hit by an Israeli air strike on Saturday, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip August 24, 2014. Egypt called on Israel and the Palestinians on Saturday to halt hostilities and resume peace talks, but both sides kept up attacks, including an Israeli air strike which destroyed a residential tower block in the centre of Gaza City. Hamas militants also fired rockets at Israel, hitting the southern city of Beersheba, where two

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Men, women and children went out on the streets of the Gaza Strip, a few minutes past 7 p.m., after the 51-day war was finally over. Hundreds gathered in the streets, raising Hamas and Islamic Jihad flags, while a few raised the flags of Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Hala, a little girl, sticks her head out of the car and cheers, “Izz ad-Din Brigades!” Other men and women cheer joyfully celebrating the war’s end, while patriotic songs blast through speakers and “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, the resistance has won,” can be heard from the mosques’ loudspeakers.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.