Gaza was calm for the second consecutive day since the cease-fire was declared by Israel and Hamas. The occupying forces continued their gradual withdrawal to the border. They allowed 220 trucks loaded with aid and 400,000 liters of fuel into Gaza. Yet Israeli officials said some troops and tanks would stay in anticipation of any fire from the resistance. The calm was sporadically interrupted by the sound of planes flying over the sector and the bombing of the shores of Gaza by naval vessels. However, life started to come back to the stricken sector. Banks and shops were reopened, and traffic was resumed. The Hamas police was re-deployed despite contempt at the devastation that it has caused. And people wondered what victory was achieved with such horrifying scenes of massive destruction and continued search for bodies under rubble. 12 bodies were yesterday recovered from the rubble, bringing the total death toll of the Israeli massacres to 1315 and 5500 injured, half of them children. Palestinian Minister of Economy Mohamed Hassouna estimated the losses in Gaza at more than three billion dollars, as 22 houses were destroyed. Deposed Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh described what happened in Gaza as ‘divine' victory, while Iranian President Ahmadinejad congratulated Hamas Political Bureau president Khaled Meshaal in Damascus for the steadfastness and victory of Hamas.
Izzedine al-Qassam Brigade, the armed wing of Hamas, said its missile capabilities were not affected by the Israeli attack, and pledged to re-arm. It also said that 49 Israeli soldiers were killed and hundreds wounded, while 48 of its members were killed.
