Palestinian refugees in Lebanon celebrate Hamas victory over Israel

By Safiye Karabacak

BEIRUT (AA) - Hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon held a celebration Sunday to mark the success the Hamas resistance group achieved in the Gaza Strip in the face of Israel's latest attacks.

In an event organized by Hamas in Ain al-Hilweh, Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, with the slogan "Palestine resists and wins," people carried Hamas flags and banners in support of the resistance forces.

Addressing Palestinians in Ain al-Hilweh through a live broadcast during the celebration, Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh said Operation al-Quds Sword enabled the group to make progress such as determining the rules of engagement.

"This is a new equation that they did not take into account in the rules of conflict with the invaders. They believed that they were able to separate and divide the land and the people as they wished," he said.

"The operation cast doubt on this belief and made the entire Palestinian geography a center for the lights of the missiles and the fire of the revolution."

Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip announced the launch of Operation al-Quds Sword in early May as tensions continued to escalate with Israel.

An Egyptian-brokered truce that took effect in the early hours of May 21 ended Israel’s 11-day bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli attacks in Gaza and the West Bank killed at least 289 people, including women and children, and left behind a trail of destruction. Health centers and media offices as well as schools were among the structures targeted.

The head of the UN Human Rights Council has said that the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza may constitute war crimes.