A Turkish flag is seen as Palestinians attend a rally in support of Hamas in Gaza city, Friday Jan. 30, 2009. Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan is winning praise from Gazans after his public spat with Israeli President Shimon Peres over Israel’s Gaza offensive. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa) (Hatem Moussa – AP)
Pictures of Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are seen during a rally in support of Hamas in Gaza city, Friday, Jan. 30, 2009. Erdogan is winning praise from Gazans after his public spat with Israeli President Shimon Peres over Israel’s Gaza offensive. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa) (Hatem Moussa – AP)
By BEN HUBBARD
The Associated Press
Friday, January 30, 2009; 1:30 PM
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — More than 5,000 Hamas supporters rallied in Gaza on Friday, as a leader of the Islamic militant group emerged from hiding to declare victory in the 23-day Israeli offensive that devastated much of the Palestinian territory.
Hamas lawmaker Khalil al-Hayeh appeared in public for the first time since the war’s start on Dec. 27 and remained defiant despite Hamas’ heavy losses.
“We thank God when we see our houses bombed and our institutions destroyed, but our people say yes to the resistance and yes to martyrdom for the sake of God,” al-Hayeh said, standing in front of the damaged Palestinian parliament building. “We say proudly that Gaza has won the war, the resistance has won the war, and Hamas has won the war.”
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Israeli launched its offensive to stop eight years of near-daily militant rocket fire from Gaza at southern Israeli towns. Nearly 1,300 Palestinians were killed in the fighting, about half of them civilians, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. Thirteen Israelis were also killed, three of them civilians.
The aerial and ground offensive ended with a tentative cease-fire on Jan. 18. Hamas has since resumed its rocket fire toward Israel.
On Friday, the crowd waved red and white Turkish flags next to green Hamas banners. Al-Hayeh called Turkish Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan “a hero” for criticizing Israel over the Gaza offensive during a panel discussion Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Erdogan stalked off the stage after telling Israeli President Shimon Peres: “You kill people.”
Demonstrators burned and stomped on posters of Peres and other Israeli leaders and held up placards with Erdogan’s picture on them.
Al-Hayeh repeated previous declarations that Hamas would not agree to a long-term cease-fire with Israel that does not include lifting the 18-month blockade on the tiny, impoverished seaside strip and opening its border crossings with Israel.
In London, a European Union spokesman, John Clancy, said Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid flows into Gaza are “unacceptable” and must be lifted. He said about 120 supply trucks are currently entering Gaza each day, compared to about 500 in 2007.
Clancy said the EU had asked Israel to allow its aid workers to be fast-tracked into the territory. It currently takes about five days for a worker to get into Gaza, and the EU wants to shorten that to 48 hours.
Al-Hayeh also said Hamas would only release captured Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit in exchange for Hamas members imprisoned in Israel.
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