Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip ended in a ceasefire last week with the final toll standing at around 170 Palestinians killed and more than 700 wounded. Meanwhile in Israel, four Israeli civilians and two Israeli soldiers were killed, along with dozens of others wounded, in Palestinian attacks. At a news conference, Hamas government spokesperson Taher al-Nono said an initial estimate of the damage to Gaza from eight days of bombing stood at more than $1.2 billion.

Taher al-Nono: “Our first estimation of the damage caused due to the aggression is 200 residential buildings were destroyed and 8,000 other dwellings were damaged. There were [losses] of around a $1.25 billion — $545 million in direct losses and $700 million in indirect losses.”