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Hamas Supporters Declare "Victory" in Gaza
(New York Times) Iyad Abuheweila - As the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas took effect at 2 a.m. on Friday, thousands of Palestinians gathered in the streets of Gaza City to celebrate. Loudspeakers at mosques called on residents to come out "to celebrate the victory," while Hamas supporters with weapons fired into the air. "It's the most luxurious victory because at least we struck Tel Aviv," said Ibrahim al Najjar, 26. "I wasn't as happy on my wedding day as I was when they hit Tel Aviv." But the celebratory mood belied the devastation in Gaza, where Israeli airstrikes killed more than 200 Palestinians, destroyed buildings, left huge swaths of the territory without electricity or water, and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. Some in the crowd questioned what the conflict had accomplished.