By IINA,
New York : Rebuilding the Gaza Strip after Israel’s three-week offensive will cost billions of dollars, the UN has warned. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been left homeless and 400,000 people still have no running water, it said. A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas fighters is holding, allowing many Palestinians to return home to assess the damage.
Israel called a ceasefire on Saturday, saying it had met its war aims. Hamas later declared its own truce, with one of its leaders claiming a “great victory” over Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he wants troops to leave Gaza “as quickly as possible” and some have already left. Anonymous Israeli officials, quoted by Associated Press news agency, said the withdrawal would be completed before US President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration today.
But analysts say big questions remain, such as who will police Gaza’s southern border with Egypt and how much power Hamas still has. Hamas has said it will hold fire for a week to give Israel time to withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip. Israel launched its offensive on 27 December to stop Hamas fighters firing rockets into Israel. Palestinian medical sources say at least 1,300 Palestinians were killed and 5,500 injured during the conflict. Thirteen Israelis were killed.