Throughout the 11 days of fighting during Operation Guardian of the Walls, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had completely disappeared from the public eye. On Saturday, two days after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was reached, the terrorist leader finally emerged from his hideout amid hundreds of Hamas fighters wearing military camouflage.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
They, along with Sinwar, paraded past the mourning tent for Bassem Issa, a senior commander killed in the fighting, during which Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired some 4,500 rockets and missiles at Israeli civilian population centers.
Israel bombed Sinwar's house during the fighting, along with that of other senior Hamas figures, as part of its attack on the group's military infrastructure.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Israel delivered a punishing blow to Hamas, and that top Hamas figures remained targets. Speaking to the Kan public broadcaster, Gantz said that Sinwar, and the head of Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Deif, remained in the crosshairs of Israel's defense establishment.
On Friday, Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas' political bureau, hailed Hamas' "victory" and said it had foiled attempts by Israel to integrate into the Arab world.
He also thanked Iran for the funds and weaponry it has provided to the Gaza Strip.
"This battle has destroyed the project of 'coexistence' with the Israeli occupation, of the project 'normalization' with Israel," Haniyeh said from Qatar, where he has been residing, in an apparent reference to the widespread clashes between Israeli Arabs and Jews and Israel's recent peace agreements with four Arab nations under the auspices of the Abraham Accords.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council released a statement Saturday, welcoming the cease-fire and stressing "the immediate need for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly in Gaza."
The war has further sidelined Hamas' main political rival, the internationally-backed Palestinian Authority, which oversees autonomous enclaves in Judea and Samaria. Hamas' popularity seemed to be growing as it positioned itself as a defender of Palestinian claims to Jerusalem.
On Friday, hours after the ceasefire took effect, thousands of Palestinians at the Temple Mount compound in the Old City of Jerusalem chanted against PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his self-rule government. "Dogs of the Palestinian Authority, out, out," they shouted, and "The people want the president to leave."
It was an unprecedented display of anger against Abbas. Despite his weakened status, Abbas will be the point of contact for any renewed US diplomacy, since Israel and the West, including the United States, consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is to meet with Abbas and Israeli leaders when he visits in the coming week. Abbas is expected to raise demands that any Gaza reconstruction plans go through the Palestinian Authority to avoid strengthening Hamas.
Abbas met Saturday with Egyptian mediators, discussing the rebuilding of Gaza and internal Palestinian relations, according to the official PA news agency Wafa.
An Egyptian diplomat said that two teams of mediators were in Israel and the Palestinian areas to continue talks on firming up the ceasefire deal and securing long-term calm.
The diplomat said discussions include implementing agreed-on measures in Gaza and Jerusalem, including ways to prevent practices that led to the latest fighting.
Separately, a 130-truck convoy with humanitarian aid and medical supplies reached the Gaza border from Egypt on Saturday, according to a senior Egyptian official at the border crossing.
Across Gaza, an assessment of the damage to the territory's already decrepit infrastructure began.
The ministry of public works and housing said that 769 housing and commercial units were rendered uninhabitable, at least 1,042 units in 258 buildings were destroyed and just over 14,500 units suffered minor damage.
The United Nations said about 800,000 people in Gaza do not have regular access to clean piped water, as nearly 50% of the water network was damaged in the fighting.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
