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<div class="ViewDetails_Title"><b><big><big>Victory celebrations in
the streets of Gaza after prayers</big></big></b><br>
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<div class="ViewDetails_Stamp">Published today (updated)
29/08/2014 18:57<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=724170">http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=724170</a><br>
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GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Palestinians across the Gaza Strip turned out
in the thousands for prayers and a victory march on Friday, as
many savored their first opportunity in the 50 days to attend
Friday prayers in Gaza mosques without fear of Israeli
bombardment.<br>
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Although a local council estimates one-third of mosques were damaged
in the Israeli assault -- including 72 totally destroyed --
Palestinians flocked to services as political leaders took to the
podiums to stress the need for national unity after what they deemed
an unprecedented victory against Israel.<br>
<br>
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said during a Friday prayer
sermon in a mosque in the devastated eastern Gaza neighborhood of
Shujaiyya that Palestinians have entered "a new age today and a new
stage of national unity by choosing to win and support the
resistance."<br>
<br>
"The war on Gaza should eliminate all previous internal
disagreements," he added, calling upon the national unity government
to fulfill its responsibilities related to ensuring Israel open the
borders and allow reconstruction.<br>
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"In this war, we captured back the rights that Israel stole while
taking the (political) division as an excuse," he said, highlighting
that since a April 24 Palestinian unity agreement the nation was
better equipped to confront Israeli aggression.<br>
<br>
On Tuesday, Palestinian forces signed a long-term ceasefire
agreement with Israel in what many deemed a major victory for the
resistance against Israel, after a seven-week bombardment that left
more than 2,140 dead and more than 100,000 homeless.<br>
<br>
Israel conceded to key Palestinian demands -- including "easing" the
eight-year old siege, reducing the 500-meter buffer zone near the
border, and extending the fishing zone off the coast -- while also
giving up its primary demand, the demilitarization of Gaza.<br>
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Although other Palestinian demands remain unfulfilled and are still
left to be discussed at a second round of talks in September,
celebrations have broken out across Palestine in recent days.<br>
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On Friday, many joined a march organized by the militant group
Palestinian Islamic Jihad to celebrate what they called a "victory
of the resistance."<br>
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Marches set off from mosques in Gaza City following Friday prayers
and ended at a stage in al-Wihda Street, where members of the
al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad's armed wing, paraded through the
streets.<br>
<br>
"Today, we are celebrating the third Israeli offensive on besieged
civilians and the third achievement on the way to liberating
Jerusalem," Muhammad al-Hindi, a Jihad official, said.<br>
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The senior official thanked all those that supported the
Palestinians during the offensive, and called for a new national
strategy involving the rebuilding of the PLO.<br>
<br>
The Palestinian Authority must stop all security coordination with
Israel, he said, adding that the Palestinians must go to the ICC to
pursue Israeli war criminals.<br>
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The al-Quds Brigades also announced the appointment of a new
military spokesperson, known as Abu Hamza.<br>
<b><br>
Israel was 'defeated'</b><br>
<br>
Deputy head of Hamas politburo Moussa Abu Marzouq said in a press
conference in Rafah that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu
had "achieved none of his terms during the indirect negotiations in
Cairo," particularly regarding the key Israeli demand for
Palestinian disarmament.<br>
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“They were defeated in their ground operations," he added, stressing
that in addition to the 64 soldiers killed and more than 1,000
soldiers wounded, "Ben Gurion Airport was hit for the first time."<br>
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"We won the ground operation and we won the aerial operation," he
continued, adding that the ceasefire with Israel is not permanent.<br>
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"Gaza taught all of the world's nations how to resist and fight
back, and what it is like to win."<br>
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At the same time, however, Abu Marzouq acknowledged that the
ceasefire deal with Israel had not immediately accomplished all of
Palestinian demands.<br>
<br>
Despite a promise to ease the eight-year siege of Gaza, restrict the
border buffer zone, and increase the fishing areas allotted to
Palestinian fisherman, he acknowledged that the issues of re-opening
the airport and seaport as well as ensuring freedom of movement
between the Gaza Strip and West Bank "had to be delayed."<br>
<br>
He said, however, that negotiations will continue in Cairo in a
month and that negotiations would not have a limit.
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