Iran: Hamas 'brought Israel to its knees'
Following ceasefire, Hamas' announcement of 'victory', Islamic Republic says 'heroic Palestinian people have forged a new era with this victory.'
"The heroic Palestinian people have forged a new era with the victory of the resistance which has brought the Zionist regime to its knees," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"This victory prepares the way for the final liberation of all the occupied lands especially Quds (Jerusalem)," it said, congratulating the Palestinian people and the militant groups in Gaza that Iran supports.
After seven weeks of the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence in a decade, a long-term cease-fire took hold at 1600 GMT Tuesday, sparking festivities around the Gaza Strip.
Hamas also claimed victory Tuesday: "We are here today to declare the victory of the resistance, the victory of Gaza, with the help of God, and the steadfastness of our people and the noble resistance," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a news conference at Gaza's Shifa Hospital.
"The value of this campaign is not in the opening of this crossing or that crossing, but in paving the way for the next stage - liberating Jerusalem," Zuhri said.
Another Hamas official, Izzat al-Risheq said that Israel "could not achieve any military success in 51 days of fighting aside from its war crimes on defenseless citizens, the majority of whom are women, elderly, and children."
The conflict, which began on July 8 when Israel began Operation Protective Edge in a bid to stamp out cross-border rocket fire, cost the lives of 2,143 Palestinians and 70 on the Israeli side.
A Palestinian official said the Egyptian-mediated deal would involve a gradual end to Israel's eight-year blockade of Gaza.
Ending the blockade had been a key Palestinian demand in truce talks, with the Islamist movement Hamas that rules Gaza hailing the agreement as a "victory for the resistance."
However, a majority of the Palestinians' central demands were not met, and talks in their regards were postponed to a later date. Israel for its part seems to have agreed to postpone talks regarding the demilitarization of Gaza as well.
