Israel reopened border crossings into Gaza on Monday following an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group ended Operation Breaking Dawn.
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The opening of the border crossings allowed fuel trucks in to supply Gaza's only power plant and increase the availability of electricity, which was down to around eight hours a day.
Palestinian terrorists fired more than 1,000 rockets at Israel, sending residents of southern areas and major cities including Tel Aviv fleeing to shelters.
"The cease-fire is fragile. Any resumption of hostilities will only have devastating consequences for Palestinians and Israelis and make any political progress on key issues elusive," UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland told the United Nations Security Council when it met on Monday over the latest violence.
After the fighting ended, both sides sent out a triumphant message.
"All our goals were achieved. The entire senior military command of Islamic Jihad in Gaza was successfully eliminated in three days," Interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a televised statement.
In a news conference broadcast on the pro-Iranian station Al Mayadeen following the ceasefire late on Sunday, Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ziad al-Nakhala declared: "This is a victory."
Israel, however, saw it as a significant degradation of PIJ capabilities.
"There's no doubt Islamic Jihad was dealt a serious blow from which it will take time to recover," an Israeli military official said, pointing to the loss of two senior commanders, which he said would severely disrupt its ability to plan and carry out operations.
As well as the two commanders, Israeli officials said around 20 terrorists were killed by the strikes and large quantities of anti-tank weapons and rocket production and storage facilities were destroyed.
"I think they were surprised by our capabilities and by the level of our intelligence and operational abilities," a senior Israeli diplomatic official told reporters.
A spokesman for PIJ in Gaza said the group may have suffered losses to its leadership and fighting strength but it had been able to impose conditions on Israel and maintain unity and cohesion.
"The enemy made ending the Islamic Jihad group its battle aim but such a dreaming, delusional goal failed," he said. "We own the human element, the human miracle that can repair capabilities regardless of how humble they are."
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