Thousands of Hamas supporters thronged a square outside the remains of the parliament building in Gaza City, which was heavily damaged in an Israeli airstrike at the outset of the war. Two men hoisted a sign in carefully scripted Hebrew reading, "The resistance will be victorious, Israel has been defeated."
How do they know they won? Add it up, simpletons!
Israel and Hamas both ceased fire on Sunday, after an offensive that claimed the lives of some 1,300 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and 13 Israelis ...
The first estimates by independent surveyors said Gaza lost nearly $2 billion in assets, including 4,100 homes, about 1,500 factories and workshops, 20 mosques, 31 security compounds, and 10 water or sewage lines.
Wow. It's like General George S. Patton himself was reborn in Gaza City.
I think Israel will regret ending the war so abruptly and pulling out. Israel should have sifted the strip to complete the destruction a little more thoroughly.
Still, deterrence and fear have been restored a good deal among Israel's enemies after the weakening it endured after the poorly fought 2006 Hezbollah War.
UPDATE: Strategypage writes that the damage estimates being made are too high:
Hamas claimed that Israeli bombs and troops did $1.9 billion worth of damage. It was probably closer to a few hundred million dollars. There were only about a thousand smart bombs used, and many of these were small ones (like the new U.S. 250 pound SDB, which Israel recently received). Hamas claimed that 5,000 homes were destroyed (and 20,000 damaged), along with 16 government buildings and 20 mosques. There are about 147,000 buildings in Gaza.
Hamas failed in their most basic reason for existence--killing Jews--and everyone knows the extent of their failure. Indeed, Hamas is reduced to portraying themselves as bigger victims. Which may play well in Europe and Berkeley, but what about the Moslem "street?"
How will Hamas recover their self-respect--such as it is?
And who are those "independent" surveyors that AP relied on?
