Region | Palestinian Territories
Hamas claims Gaza 'victory' as troops pull back
Israeli troops pulled out of the Gaza Strip after days of fighting that killed more than 100 people.
- Agencies
- Published: 10:21 March 3, 2008
- Image Credit: AP
- Palestinians have appealed to human rights organisations to persuade Israel to allow the entry of concrete into the Strip. They also appealed to Egypt to reopen the Rafah passage so that cement can be brought in to give a decent burial for the dead.
Gaza: Israeli troops pulled out of the Gaza Strip on Monday after days of fighting that killed more than 100 people and drew an appeal from Washington to end violence and rescue peace talks with the Palestinians.
The Hamas fighters who control the coastal enclave declared "victory" and vowed to continue firing rockets into Israel. But the Israeli government declared it had achieved its objective of deterring attacks, which have disrupted life in border towns.
At dawn, as Gaza residents streamed out of homes where they had been pinned for days by the heavy fighting, a spokesman for the Hamas armed wing said it would continue firing rockets into Israel. "The enemy has been defeated," he said.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said: "Gaza will always be a graveyard for the occupation forces."
On the eve of a visit by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Israel had been under pressure from its ally in Washington to halt the violence after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas suspended US-backed peace talks in protest at the bloodshed.
More from Palestinian Territories
More from Region
News Editor's choice
-
Kuwait condemns Houla massacre
Arab League urged to put end to oppression of Syrian people
-
Road crashes main cause of child death in UAE
Death rate among children in car accidents in the UAE is three times higher than global average
-
Last minute ID rush is on
Expatriates in Dubai have thronged typing centres and Emirates ID registration offices to meet the May 31 registration deadline
