Netanyahu: "The blow that they have now felt, they have never felt" before

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel did not give Hamas any concessions and declared the assault on Gaza a victory.

"[Hamas] asked for a port, it didn’t receive it," he told a press conference in Jerusalem.

"It asked for an airport, it didn’t receive it...It didn’t receive any term that it requested."

He said Hamas had been weakened by the assault.

"The blow that they have now felt, they have never felt," he said.

"Hamas put terms down before the ceasefire came in, we said the ceasefire would take place without any terms."

"We also have prevented Hamas from hitting us from the air, from the sea and from land and through the iron dome we have achieved the elimination of the attack of Hamas on the people of Israel."

He said the world had realised the threat from Hamas and the wider connotations.

"I think that the international circles understand that Hamas are part of the other terrorist groups, ISIS and others, all of these are important achievements and it has redistributed forces in the middle east."

Earlier that day senior Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh left his bunker for the first time since the beginning of the conflict and spoke in public.

"Gaza is preparing the way for the refugees to return," he told a jubilant victory rally in Gaza on Wednesday.

"Those who sowed this land with their blood led this victory."

He praised the "martyrs" who died fighting Israel during the conflict. "[Killed Palestinian fighter] Ahmed al-Jubali was a symbol of the victory in this battle," he said.

"[Killed Palestinian fighter] Mohammed Abu Shammala and others have become symbols of the victory."

His speech was followed by a victory march by the Ezz al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing.

Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, also added that the "the liberation of al-Aqsa and our return are closer to us now" referring to the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and said that "the orphans will grow and join the resistance."

"This is a united military statement from the Palestinian resistance," he said in a speech to supporters.

"This is a word spoken on an inevitable route – This is the victory of all the children, all the old people, all the women…on whom the enemy has rained huge numbers of bombs."

World leaders have expressed backing for the Gaza ceasefire, but continue to stress that more must be done to secure long-lasting peace.

Since the ceasefire came into effect at 7pm (1600 GMT) local time on Tuesday, the mood appears to be one of cautious optimism. The Israeli army on Wednesday said that a ceasefire is still "holding" with no breaches reported.

The UN Secretary General welcomed the ceasefire, brokered by Egypt, saying that it should act as “prelude to a political process” which is the “only way of achieving durable peace.” 

Ban also called on both parties “to return to meaningful negotiations” aimed at reaching a lasting agreement for Palestinian that would address “all core issues and end the 47-year occupation.” 

“After this latest round of killing and the further widespread destruction of Palestinian homes, civilians on both sides need a reprieve in order to resume their daily lives, and to allow for humanitarian and early recovery efforts to address the desperate needs of the people in Gaza,” Ban added.

The UN has previously said it would rebuild Gaza although it warned that after three conflicts in six years it would do so for the “last time” insisting that the cycle of violence must “stop now.”

The British president of the UN Security Council similarly warned that a new, more forward-looking approach to the ongoing conflict was needed.

“What we don't want to do is return to the status quo ante, so that is a matter which is still of huge concern to members of the Security Council and the focus of discussions here in New York,” Wilson said on Tuesday after the ceasefire was announced.

The United States, which played a part in the ceasefire negotiations, has also endorsed the deal but warned of a long road ahead.

"We strongly support today’s ceasefire agreement, and call on all parties to fully and completely comply with its terms," US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement. "We are approaching the next phase with our eyes wide open. We have been down this road before and we are all aware of the challenges ahead.

"We are all aware that this is an opportunity, not a certainty," Kerry added.

The ceasefire has been dubbed a “victory” by Hamas which insists it has stood strong in the face of the heavy civilian casualties, with tens of thousands strewing out across Gaza on Tuesday night to celebrate the end to 50 day conflict.

"We have achieved most of our goals and targets - we hit the occupation," a Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum told media. 

"In the future the resistance will be about to go to Jerusalem and [the current war] paves the way to our target of reaching al Aqsa and Jerusalem.

"Today, we are telling Israel as the agreement has started - you can go home because of a decision taken by Hamas, not taken by Netanyahu," he added. 

Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, also hailed the ceasefire as a "major victory" for the Palestinian people in Gaza.

"This achievement [ceasefire deal] recorded in the history of the conflict with the Zionist history would serve as a prelude to more major victories," the group said in a statement late Tuesday.

It also paid tribute to the "courageous Palestinian factions, families of the martyrs, and the [Palestinian] prisoners for the major victory that saw [the Palestinians] imposing a ceasefire and forcing the enemy to meet the demands of the factions."

Most analysts and commentators, however, have dubbed the events an uneasy draw.

“For every Israeli asking himself if Israel didn’t go too far in the destruction and suffering it inflicted on Gaza, there are two or three others who are convinced that the [Israeli military] should have hit harder, teaching Hamas a lesson it won’t soon forget,” Israeli media expert Amos Harel wrote in Haaretz.

“However the sense is that the war did not end in victory or failure, but rather in a somewhat doleful tie.”

His tone was echoed by several politicians in Israel, with the Israeli political establishment said to be deeply divided by the ceasefire.

Yuval Steinitz, a senior Israeli minister, said in a television interview Tuesday night that he accepted the cease-fire but did so “with a sour taste of missed opportunity.”

“We did not want this violence, and we did not want this war,” Steinitz said. “This is a reasonable arrangement.”

The terms of the deal appear to be broadly similar to those seen in 2012, with border crossings with Israel expected to open and humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials to be allowed back in. The naval blockade will also be reduced, from three to six miles from Gaza’s shore.

Key issues including the full reopening of Rafah crossing and the total ending of the naval and aerial blockade have not been agreed upon with negotiations expected to resume in Cairo in a months’ time.

Hamas has also not been demilitarised as Israel had requested earlier in the talks, with Hamas continuing to fire rockets into Israel right up until the ceasefire came into effect.

The full ceasefire document is yet to be released with the UN believed to be waiting for an official version before considering whether or not to push through some kind of resolution on the Israel-Palestine issue.

A Jordanian resolution to end the conflict has been on the table for weeks, and the Europeans leaked details of their own version called “Elements” last week.

However, with the current Cairo deal apparently holding, it is unclear if either of these resolutions will be put to a vote and whether they would be accepted by the 15-member body.  

During the 50 day conflict 2,145 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 70 Israelis, of whom 66 have been soldiers, have been killed.