Hamas group, that rules Gaza, has said that Israel's declaration of a cease-fire represents a defeat for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “a victory to the Palestinian people.”
"This is the euphoria of victory," said Khalil al-Hayya, the second most senior member of the Islamist movement's political bureau in the Gaza Strip as thousands of Gazans celebrated the truce. He also promised to reconstruct homes destroyed by Israeli air strikes.
Israeli strikes on Gaza since May 10 have killed 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, as well as fighters, and have wounded another 1,900, according to the Gaza health ministry.