Chip East / Reuters

Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, has endured top Arab leaders beating a path to his rival in Gaza, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas. Hamas may not have won militarily in this month's mini-war with Israel but it paid off politically and diplomatically big-time. From pariah Hamas emerged as the power-player in Palestinian politics with a clear message: violence pays.

News analysis

Updated at 5:21 p.m. ET -- With the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approving a resolution Thursday to implicitly recognize a Palestinian state, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas can chalk up the vote as a personal triumph on two levels.

From his headquarters in Ramallah on the West Bank Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, has endured top Arab leaders beating a path to his rival in Gaza, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas. Hamas may not have won militarily in this month's mini-war with Israel but it paid off big-time, politically and diplomatically. From pariah status, Hamas emerged as the power-player in Palestinian politics with a clear message: violence pays.

Abbas, who all his political life has preached non-violence, has recently seen his already marginalized position eroded further. All the more reason for him to have insisted on the United Nations vote, fending off objections and threats from Israel and Washington. So victory in the General Assembly sounds his own strong message: non-violence pays, too.

Being accepted as a non-member state, a promotion from its previous observer state, is the Palestinians' biggest political victory. It places them on the path to full recognition as a member-state of the United Nations, and allows it to join U.N. agencies such as the International Criminal Court in The Hague. 

 Arafat's body exhumed; experts to investigate if he was poisoned

The non-member observer state status could also open the way for possible war crimes charges against Israel at the International Criminal Court.

Slideshow: Israel and Gaza: 8 days of violence

Oliver Weiken / EPA

Israel's military said it had accomplished its objectives while Hamas claimed victory after the two sides exchanged deadly airstrikes and rocket attacks for over a week.

Launch slideshow

Another personal triumph for Abbas: For the last two years Abbas has threatened to resign, claiming he wanted a quieter life. U.N. victory means he can say to his compatriots: I have fulfilled my promise and leave you now with this new status in international politics. Now you take the baton and run with it. He could bow out on top. That's what Palestinians in Ramallah today were saying could be Abbas' next step.

Gazans move quickly to rebuild bombed tunnels to bring in food, weapons

Another result of success in the United Nations has already been the united voice of Palestinians today. In a rare show of unity, Hamas has joined Fatah celebrations in the West Bank and Gaza, celebrating together this historic political moment.

These symbolic breakthroughs for Abbas and the Palestinians may not mean any change on the ground, though.

Arafat's exhumation: Palestinians' desire for truth might be dashed again

Initially Israel threatened that if Abbas did not call off the vote it would punish Abbas: withhold tax payments, possible annex the Jewish settlements on the West Bank and impose harsh sanctions. In the past few days that position has softened.

But Israel still insists, joined by Washington, that Abbas' U.N. gambit is no substitute for face-to-face negotiations. The road to peace does not go via the U.N. Plaza in New York but via Jerusalem and Ramallah.

Palestinians: Settlers threaten West Bank's centuries-old olive harvest tradition

And although this appears like a Palestinian victory, analysts here point out that whatever Abbas has achieved in the United Nations today is less than Palestinians were offered 65 years ago. Back then they were offered a state in Palestine and full membership in the United Nations. Now celebrations are about their status as a "non-member state."

Martin Fletcher is the author of "The List", "Breaking News" and "Walking Israel."

More world stories from NBC News:

• Tobacco industry uses trade pacts to try to snuff out anti-smoking laws
• Syrians risk lives in battle to protect nation's ancient sites
• An ocean away in UK, time is running out to claim $100 million lottery prize
• ANALYSIS: Egypt learns the art of politics amid protests
• Arafat's exhumation: Palestinians' desire for truth might be dashed again
• Chinese paper falls for Onion 'sexiest man alive' spoof
• ANALYSIS: Israeli defense chief quits politics — but for how long?
• Scientists rush to save manta rays, the 'pandas of the ocean'

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Mohammed Salem / Reuters

Palestinians rest as a worker repairs a smuggling tunnel dug beneath the Egyptian-Gaza border in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday. Knee-deep in craters carved out by Israeli airstrikes, Palestinians wielded shovels and planks to reopen tunnels used to smuggle in goods from Egypt to Gaza, as international aid agencies raced to replenish Gaza's supplies.

Palestinians wielded shovels and planks Monday to reopen tunnels used to smuggle in goods from Egypt to the Gaza Strip after Israel's eight-day offensive against Hamas.

Israeli airstrikes have heavily targeted the network of tunnels, which smugglers use to bring in various items — including food, fuel, construction materials and weapons — to Gaza's 1.6 million residents.

Residents along the Egypt-Gaza border say that smugglers and tunnel owners are still inspecting the damage but that many of the tunnels still operate, though at reduced capacity, according to The Associated Press.

An Egyptian security official, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, estimated that as of Sunday half the tunnels were not functioning.

PhotoBlog: Gazans work to reopen tunnels bombed by Israel

The tunnels were developed as a way for Palestinians in Gaza to sidestep Egyptian and Israeli restrictions.

Though technically illegal, the tunnels have until recently been tolerated to varying degrees on the Egyptian side of the border.

Lifeline
While many Gazans depend on the tunnels for basic food and supplies, the underground facilities have also been crucial to arming Hamas and other militant groups.

"You can smuggle weapons, have people going in and out," Benedetta Berti, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, recently told USA Today. "Security on the border and monitoring tunnels ... has to be done."

Slideshow: Israel and Gaza: 8 days of violence

Bernat Armangue / AP

Israel's military said it had accomplished its objectives while Hamas claimed victory after the two sides exchanged deadly airstrikes and rocket attacks for over a week.

Launch slideshow

According to an August report by the International Crisis Group, between $500-700 million in goods are estimated to pass through the tunnels each year. The Hamas government has charged a tax of around 14.5 percent since the beginning of 2012, the report said. In 2011 alone, 13,000 cars were estimated to have come through the tunnels.

Some smugglers have made a fortune off the smuggling.

"Eight hundred millionaires and 1,600 near-millionaires control the tunnels at the expense of both Egyptian and Palestinian national interests," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who leads the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, told The Economist.

Thousands of other workers make a living transporting goods back and forth through the tunnels, reports say.

As of late 2010, around 1,000 tunnels were in operation along the border, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service said in a report.

ANALYSIS: What Gaza crisis taught Israel about Iran

Hamas began a dramatic expansion off the tunneling network following Israel's 2005 withdrawal from the coastal territory, analysts say. The Islamist group, which Israel and the United States classify as a terrorist group, came to power in Gaza in 2007.

"Under the closure regime aimed at undermining Hamas's control over the territory, the tunneling network has become Gaza's primary economic engine and mode of rearmament for militants," the CRS report said.

The tunnels are believed to be of a relatively high quality of engineering and construction, with some including electricity, ventilation, intercoms, and a rail system, according to the report.

The Iran link
Many of the weapons smuggled into Gaza appear to have originated in Iran, experts say.

Iran's fingerprints on Hamas weaponry, but role in Israel-Gaza crisis murky

The Israeli military released footage earlier this month that it said showed that many of Hamas' weapons, such as the Fajr-5 missiles, came from Iran.

The Shiite-led government in Iran has found common cause with the Sunni Hamas over a mutual foe, Israel, but experts agree that its influence is often indirect.

Still, according to a 2009 cable obtained by WikiLeaks, Israeli intelligence told a U.S. official that Israel's air attacks on Gaza's tunnels were "part of a bigger campaign to address the main issue of Iranian support to Hamas."

For example, Israel said the Iranians had developed a version of the 122mm rocket specifically for Hamas: the weapon "came in four pieces that could fit through narrow tunnels and be reassembled in Gaza."

Despite troubles at home, Egypt's Morsi is pivotal player in Mideast

Israel has promised to ease its blockade on Gaza as part of a cease-fire last week that ended the intense fighting. But as negotiations inch forward, no timeline has yet been set for the lifting the restrictions.

Under its new Islamist government, Egypt has moved to reduce smuggling in the tunnel by sealing off the entrances on its side of the border.

Complete World coverage on NBCNews.com

Egypt and Israel have blamed a recent surge in lawlessness on the Egyptian side of the Gaza border in large part to smuggling through the tunnels.

In August, the Egyptian army launched a crackdown on militants in the Sinai Peninsula after an attack killed 16 Egyptian police officers.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

More world stories from NBC News:

• Egypt's Morsi says he wants to stabilize country
• More than 100 killed in Bangladesh factory fire
• Drug gang bust in Honduras nets $100M assets
• Irish editor who published pics of naked Kate Middleton resigns
• Scientists rush to save manta rays, the 'pandas of the ocean'
• Despite troubles at home, Egypt's Morsi is pivotal player in Mideast

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Roni Schutzer / AFP - Getty Images

Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday announces that he is quitting political life after a decades-long career that also saw him serve as prime minister.

News analysis

TEL AVIV, Israel — Internet forums in Israel sprang to life when Ehud Barak made his surprise announcement that he would retire from politics in eight weeks. The overwhelming sentiment on Ynet and other newspaper forums — good riddance. 

But the key question is, does he mean it? Consider his background.

Israel’s most decorated soldier, universally recognized as a brilliant special forces officer, in the army for 36 years. When he went into politics he became foreign minister within two years, then prime minister and now defense minister.

And he’s 70 — not at all old in Israeli politics.

Now think of the reasons he gave in his press conference to end his spectacular career in Israel’s military and political power centers: to spend more time with his family. "I want to study, write, live and have a good time," he said.

What Gaza fighting taught Israel about possible war with Iran

Barak has already earned considerable wealth through lectures and business consulting, and has a reputation among Israelis for enjoying the high life. So much so that to counteract that reputation, which he feared would hurt him in the polls, he sold his apartment in the plush Akirov Towers in Tel Aviv and bought an apartment in a more modest new building.

But that was in March when retiring from politics must have been the last thing on his mind.

Kobi Gideon / GPO via Getty Images

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Ehud Barak visit Israel's northern Israeli border with Syria on November 14 in an image provided by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO).

At the time he wrote on his Facebook page that his older home “gives a sense of alienation and detachment from the public and so we decided to move to a smaller and less expensive apartment.”

So the idea that Barak would decide to devote the rest of his life to having “a good time,” just when Israel faces one of its most momentous decisions ever -- whether or not to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities -- and as Israel faces numerous military challenges, from Gaza to Hezbollah, to Iran and Syria, rings false to some analysts.

The real reason for the dramatic announcement, one political source said Monday, is that the party Barak founded in January this year, "Independence," is set to get trounced in the elections scheduled for Jan. 22. Barak would rather leave while on top, leaving the door open to a future return to politics.

Slideshow: Israel and Gaza: 8 days of violence

Bernat Armangue / AP

Israel's military said it had accomplished its objectives while Hamas claimed victory after the two sides exchanged deadly airstrikes and rocket attacks for over a week.

Launch slideshow

Barak came out of last week’s mini-war with Hamas in Gaza looking good. He was seen as the restraining hand, the responsible adult, in Israel’s leadership trio of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and himself as defense minister. Israel set modest goals and achieved them with minimal loss of life at home.

After 8 days of Gaza violence, Israel declares mission accomplished, Hamas claims victory

So why retire now? The answer is that the announcement came as a surprise and it is too early to know.

One thing is for sure -- few here think he means it.

Martin Fletcher is the author of "The List", "Breaking News" and "Walking Israel".

More world stories from NBC News:

• Egypt's Morsi says he wants to stabilize country
• More than 100 killed in Bangladesh factory fire
• Drug gang bust in Honduras nets $100M assets
• Irish editor who published pics of naked Kate Middleton resigns
• Scientists rush to save manta rays, the 'pandas of the ocean'
• Despite troubles at home, Egypt's Morsi is pivotal player in Mideast

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

News analysis

ASHKELON, Israel — Israel's warplanes and Iron Dome anti-rocket missiles have been facing south for eight days, but their message was heard loud and clear to the north — by leaders in Iran and Lebanon. 

The fighting against Hamas in Gaza, carried out by mostly missiles and planes, can be seen as a war game for what could happen if Israel moved to take out Iran's nuclear program, a much larger action that could result in both Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran firing rockets toward Tel Aviv.

And violent as it has been, one Israeli general described Hamas, when comparing its might to Hezbollah and Iran, as a rain drop in a storm.

In other words, there's worse to come if Israel attacks Iran, much worse.

Israel declares mission accomplished, Hamas claims victory

So, what, if any, lessons did Israel learn that can be applied to Iran?

Homefront
The most obvious concerns the endurance of Israel's "homefront," which is simply a military, dehumanizing term for "the people." Verdict: good.  

There were almost no complaints by the people that they had to spend so long in bomb shelters. Southern towns like Ofakim, Ashkelon, Beer Sheva and even Ashdod closer to the center were attacked about a 150 times each in seven days. That means the people rushed to their shelters as the sirens wailed on average 21 times a day.

Yet despite the discomfort and fear, most people did not call for an end to Israel's assault on Gaza. They wanted it to last as long as necessary to stop all rockets from Gaza in the future.

Iron Dome
The Iron Dome, Israel's home-made anti-rocket missile system, Israel's key defense against rockets from Gaza prevented carnage. Verdict: Very good with an official hit rate of 84 percent.

According to Israeli army figures, Islamist militants in Gaza fired 1,506 rockets at Israel in eight days. Eight hundred and seventy-five fell harmlessly into open areas like fields and the sea. The Iron Dome is programmed to let those alone and to intercept only rockets that would hit urban areas.

Iron Dome intercepted 421 rockets and 58 rockets actually got through, killing three civilians and wounding about 100 more, mostly lightly.

How Israel's 'Iron Dome' intercepts incoming rockets in Gaza conflict

Shelters
The small number of casualties was because a few people did not use Israel's second defense layer, the bomb shelters. Verdict: Very good. 

Nobody in a shelter was hurt. The three killed did not do as they were advised and stood on their balcony watching the action. A rocket shot right through the window, splattering them against the walls. 

But while the world has been watching the war in the south, the threat from the north is much bigger. Israeli intelligence sources say Hamas and partners in Gaza had 10,000 rockets. Hezbollah in South Lebanon has between 100,000 and 200,000, including longer range rockets that carry heavier explosive warheads, according to Israeli military analysts.

The Iron Dome could be effective against several fired at the same time and even a dozen or two, but if hundreds of long-range rockets are fired, for instance, at Israel's largest population center Tel Aviv, it is guaranteed that many would get through, causing havoc, heavy damage and possibly loss of life.

Israel needs America
How long could the homefront, or the people, withstand such an onslaught, especially if compounded by rockets from Iran?

The answer is not clear, but what is clear is that such an attack from Lebanon would provoke instant and massive Israeli retaliation.

That leads to another lesson, or rather byproduct, of the assault on Hamas — Hamas may already be eliminated from the equation of a post-Iran strike. Would Hamas fight for Iran after the punishment it received in the past week and the depletion of its rocket supply and rocket-manufacturing ability? Nobody knows. 

Slideshow: Israel, Gaza violence escalates

Mohammed Salem / Reuters

Two sides exchange deadly airstrikes, rocket attacks.

Launch slideshow

Shot dead, dragged through the streets: The fate of an alleged spy in Gaza

More likely is that Islamic Jihad, which is armed, trained and financed by Tehran, would fire its rockets at Israel, even if Hamas tried to stop them. So another lesson for Israel: Take out Islamic Jihad in Gaza — and that could lead to conflict with Hamas anyway.

But as political and military leaders here analyze the results and lessons of the past week, the clearest lesson is probably this, and it is hardly new: Israel needs the United States.

It was President Barack Obama who insisted on a cease-fire, who called Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi three times in 24 hours, and who had several calls with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, shepherding both through the difficult process of reaching an agreement.

Americans tied to Israel caught in the chaos of Gaza conflict

The fact is, Israel could not have carried out an invasion of Gaza without Washington's support. And as Obama made clear in his talks with Netanyahu, the United States prefers no ground invasion. And Israel agreed.  

So at the moment, Israel has Western support for latest action in Gaza. This support would evaporate if it decided unilaterally to invade Gaza. 

But if newly re-elected Obama says the same about an attack on Iran, only more forcibly, will Israel agree again?

That is a different issue. Israel's homefront and defensive shield give Israel's freedom to act, but the bit questions are, for how long? And against what strength enemy?

And critical will be this: Will Obama be for or against?

Martin Fletcher is the author of "The List", "Breaking News" and "Walking Israel".

More world stories from NBC News:

• China's latest supermodel? A 72-year-old farmer
• Despite US woes, Twinkies reign supreme on the Nile
• Analysis: Why Hezbollah sat out the Gaza conflict
• Too much democracy? Apathy triumphs in UK's latest election
• Obama's visit a sign of Myanmar's dizzying pace of change

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Updated at 6:10 a.m. ET: Israel’s military said it had accomplished the objectives of its airstrike campaign against Hamas by causing “severe damage” to its military capabilities after a cease-fire was declared late Wednesday.

A statement on the Israel Defense Forces website said Operation Pillar of Defense had “damaged and destroyed significant elements of Hamas' strategic capabilities” in the Gaza Strip.

“Following eight days of operations, the IDF has accomplished its pre-determined objectives for Operation Pillar of Defense, and has inflicted severe damage to Hamas and its military capabilities,” the  IDF statement said.“These actions have severely impaired Hamas' launching capabilities, resulting in a decreasing number of rockets being fired from the Gaza Strip,” it added.

Meanwhile, people in Gaza declared victory. "Allahu akbar (God is greatest), dear people of Gaza you won," blared mosque loudspeakers in Gaza, according to Reuters. "You have broken the arrogance of the Jews."

The exiled leader of the Islamist Hamas movement, Khaled Meshaal, said that Israel had been defeated and failed in its "adventure," Reuters reported. "We have come out of this battle with our heads up high," he said.

And while he said Hamas would respect the truce if Israel did, Meshaal also sounded a warning. “If it [Israel] does not comply, our hands are on the trigger," he told a news conference in Cairo.

Israel and Hamas agree to Gaza cease-fire

Even after the cease-fire came into force at 9 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET) Wednesday, a dozen rockets from the Gaza Strip landed in Israel, all in open areas, a police spokesman said. And in Gaza, witnesses reported an explosion shortly after the truce, but there were no casualties and the cause was unclear.

A top U.S. official involved in the negotiations that led to the cease-fire told NBC News that making it work was going to be a "complicated process."

Speaking for the administration, the senior official said: "The cease-fire is a big step toward trying to put in place more enduring relationships."

The official said it was “significant” that Egypt had "stepped up and is playing a crucial role" in the peace talks.
Asked whether Hamas had been strengthened by the outcome, the official said that Israel got what it wanted, referring to the damage to Hamas’ rocket-firing capabilities.

Ashraf al-Qedweh, a spokesperson for the Gaza-based health ministry, told NBC News that 162 people had died in Gaza during the conflict, including 42 children and 11 women, with 1,225 wounded.

Shot dead, dragged through the streets: The fate of an alleged spy in Gaza

The IDF statement said five Israelis had been killed and 240 injured.

It listed the military successes of Pillar of Defense, saying the IDF had “targeted over 1,500 terror sites including 19 senior command centers, operational control centers and Hamas' senior-rank headquarters, 30 senior operatives, damaging Hamas' command and control, hundreds of underground rocket launchers, 140 smuggling tunnels, 66 terror tunnels, dozens of Hamas operation rooms and bases, 26 weapon manufacturing and storage facilities and dozens of long-range rocket launchers and launch sites.”

Americans tied to Israel caught in the chaos of Gaza conflict

It said that 1,506 rockets had been fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel during the period of the operation with Israel’s “Iron Dome” defense system intercepting 421 of the missiles.

Tension remained high Thursday with two sirens heard in southern Israel, but no reports of rocket strikes.

Israeli forces said they had seized 55 suspected Palestinian militants in the West Bank Thursday, Reuters reported.

Watch World News videos on NBCNews.com

The detainees were from various armed Palestinian factions and included "senior operatives," the army said in a statement, adding that it would "continue to maintain order ... and prevent the infiltration of terrorists into Israeli communities."

The West Bank is under the sway of U.S.-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah movement, but many of its residents are sympathetic with his Hamas rivals. 

NBC's Lawahez Jabari and Reuters contributed to this report.

Ali Ali / EPA

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, center, waves to crowds of people celebrating after a ceasefire was announced in Gaza City, Nov. 22, 2012.

More world stories from NBC News:

• Amid the ruins, Gazans say pity the living, not the dead
• ‘Nail house’ holds up traffic as homeowners fight local government
• China's latest supermodel? A 72-year-old farmer
• Despite US woes, Twinkies reign supreme on the Nile
• Analysis: Why Hezbollah sat out the Gaza conflict

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Uriel Sinai / Getty Images file

An Israeli policeman stands above shoes and clothes from a victim at the scene of an explosion on a bus in central Tel Aviv, Israel, Nov. 21.

Israeli authorities arrested an Israeli Arab on suspicion of planting a bomb in a Tel Aviv bus that wounded 15 people hours before Israel agreed a cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza, police and security officials said on Thursday.

The Arab citizen of Israel was detained on Wednesday night, they said. Also arrested, police said, were a number of Palestinians affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on suspicion of having recruited the Israeli Arab to carry out the bombing.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld did not give names or an exact number of how many people were in custody.

He said the Israeli Arab notified his Palestinian handlers in the West Bank when the bomb was in place on the commuter bus, and they then detonated the device with a mobile phone.

"The investigation is still under way, and other arrests are expected," the Shin Bet internal security service said in a statement. 

Wednesday's bus bombing had raised the possibility that Palestinians had slipped in from the nearby West Bank to carry out the attack.

While Hamas rules Gaza, a fenced-off enclave under Israeli blockade, the U.S.-backed Palestinian Authority governs in parts of the West Bank not under Israeli occupation. But many of its residents are sympathetic with his Islamist Hamas rivals who govern Gaza and reject permanent peace with the Jewish state.

After cease-fire, both sides claim victory

Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli army said that 55 suspected Palestinian militants had been arrested in the West Bank, citing a need to maintain calm after a truce ended the Gaza fighting.

The detainees were from various armed Palestinian factions and included "senior operatives," the army said in a statement, adding that it would "continue to maintain order ... and prevent the infiltration of terrorists into Israeli communities".

Israel launched an air offensive against Hamas and other Gaza militant factions on Nov. 14 with the declared aim of stopping their rocket fire into the Jewish state. The sides entered an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire on Wednesday night.

During the Gaza conflict, two Palestinians were shot dead during anti-Israel demonstrations in the West Bank that turned into confrontations with the army.

According to NBC News, some 162 Palestinians died and more than 1,200 were wounded in the conflict; five Israelis were killed and 240 were wounded.

NBC staff and Reuters contributed to this report.

Slideshow: Israel and Gaza: 8 days of violence

Bernat Armangue / AP

Israel's military said it had accomplished its objectives while Hamas claimed victory after the two sides exchanged deadly airstrikes and rocket attacks for over a week.

Launch slideshow

More world stories from NBC News:

• Amid the ruins, Gazans say pity the living, not the dead
• China's latest supermodel? A 72-year-old farmer
• Despite US woes, Twinkies reign supreme on the Nile
• Analysis: Why Hezbollah sat out the Gaza conflict

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Mohammed Saber / EPA

A man stands in the rubble of a destroyed house belonging to the Dallo family after it was hit by an Isareli air strike in the north of Gaza City on Sunday. The airstrike killed at least 10 members of the same family, including four children.

GAZA CITY -- Thousands of Palestinians filled Gaza City’s main square on Thursday to celebrate their "victory" in the latest round of violence with Israel, even as rescue workers were still sifting through the rubble of a home in the neighborhood of El Nasr on the city's outskirts.

Earlier in the week, rescue workers frantically combed through the three-story house, which was reduced to rubble by an Israeli airstrike that killed 12 people --  ten from a single family that included four children. Israel claimed it was home to a high-ranking commander with Hamas’ military wing.

The incident -- or, as Palestinians here describe it, "the Dallo massacre," in reference to the family that lived there -- has become one of the defining moments of the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Israel, Hamas claim victory amid Gaza cease-fire

After eight days of fighting -- 1,500 Israeli airstrikes and 1,500 Palestinian rockets fired, according to Israel Defense Forces -- both sides emerged claiming to be victorious: Palestinian factions for "resisting" and "withstanding" the might of the world’s fourth largest military; Israel for dealing Hamas a blow while minimizing the casualties of Hamas rockets on Israel.

But in the small farming community of Attatra, there were no winners.

Walid, 42, and has family were at home on Tuesday night when the Israeli military began dropping leaflets on their farm. Even before the leaflets hit the ground, Walid knew it what they were -- a warning sign. The Israeli military ordered them and their neighbors to evacuate their area immediately.

In 2008, Walid was sitting at home when the same leaflets fell on his house. Back then, he did not heed the warning. Instead he and his family remained on their farm. During that Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, Walid’s brother was killed, Walid’s home was destroyed and their farm, the source of their livelihood, razed.

Marco Longari / AFP - Getty Images

Members of the al-Attar family, displaced during the eight-day conflict with Israel, return to their home in the Atatra area in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday.

His is one of a thousand similar stories. This time around, he knew what a ground invasion would mean for his family. So he didn’t chance it. Once he saw the leaflets fall he packed his children and wife in the back of a car, grabbed whatever blankets, sheets and clothes they could, and headed to his sister's house where along with 40 other extended family members they took shelter until a ceasefire went into effect on Wednesday evening.

Israel's Iron Dome shield cost up to $30 million

There are no early warning systems, no bunkers or shelters to find a moment of refuge in the chaos of war for the people of Gaza. There is no Israeli-style Iron Dome system to protect them, just "Naseeb" – the Arabic word for destiny.

As the shops opened up and storekeepers surveyed the damage, families began setting up mourning tents to welcome condolences for those who died.

Near NBC News' hotel, a mourning tent was set up for 44-year-old Mohammed Saeed Al Qaddada. He was a member of Fatah, Hamas’ political rival that Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the American-backed Palestinian Authority, belongs to.

He was killed by an airstrike on his car while he was with fighters ferrying weapons and rockets, according to family. He was not loyal to Hamas, but felt compelled to join their ranks when Israel began another attack on Gaza.

At the Red Crescent ambulance dispatch center in Tel el Hawa, first responders worked nonstop for eight days. It’s not uncommon for the men and women here to spend days at a time away from their homes and families.

Israel declares mission accomplished, Hamas claims victory

On the day our crew spent a few hours with them they were dispatched multiple times, all to rescue or treat casualties from Israel’s attacks -- including a young child suffering from shock after a wall in the family home collapsed.

The plight of the first responders pales in comparison to the doctors at Gaza City’s main hospital. Poorly equipped, understaffed and inadequately trained, doctors and nurses worked endlessly to treat  -- sometimes unsuccessfully -- the flow of patients. By the end of the fighting, the death toll stood at 162 people killed, according to hospital officials.

The painful reality of Gaza is that even after the fighting, the return to "normal" is far from it.

Blockaded since 2006 and under siege since 2007, Gaza has become a tough place to live. The U.N. predicts it will be uninhabitable by 2020. Stifled, underdeveloped and destitute, Gaza is a place where residents wait for their "Naseeb" to change.

Bernat Armangue / AP

Emergency workers help a woman after she was injured during an Israel strike on a sports field next to her house in Gaza City on Monday.

At a small auto mechanic shop a young technician named Wissam was covered in the grime of grease, car oil and dirt. His shop had reopened for the first time in days. He was not expecting any patrons on Thursday but for him it was important to get back to normal.

"Don’t feel sorry for those who died in this war, they are martyrs and will go to heaven," he said. "Feel sorry for those us who will have to stay here trapped in Gaza."

Back at the Dallo house, the workers sifting through the rubble made a gruesome discovery. Days after the attack and hours after they had begun once again to clear the rubble, they found the body of seven-year-old Ranin and the body of 35-year-old Mohammed el Dallo -- raising the death toll to 164. 

More world stories from NBC News:

• China's latest supermodel? A 72-year-old farmer
• Despite US woes, Twinkies reign supreme on the Nile
• Analysis: Why Hezbollah sat out the Gaza conflict
• Vote rejecting women bishops was 'willfully blind,' Anglican leader says
• Too much democracy? Apathy triumphs in UK's latest election
• Obama's visit a sign of Myanmar's dizzying pace of change

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook