Israel and Hamas both claimed victory on Friday after their forces halted 11 days of fighting, as humanitarian officials warned that the damage to Gaza would take years to rebuild.
But in Jerusalem, Israeli police cracked down on stone-throwing protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, two weeks after similar clashes sparked the conflict's worst escalation in years.
After working behind the scenes for days , the White House said Washington had received assurances from the relevant parties that they were committed to the ceasefire.
As Palestinians and Israelis began to assess the scale of the damage, one Gazan said his neighbourhood looked as if it had been hit by a tsunami.
"How can the world call itself civilised?" Abu Ali asked, standing next to the rubble of a 14-storey tower block.
Palestinian officials put the reconstruction costs at tens of millions of dollars, while economists said the fighting could curb Israel's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
A child with a Palestinian flag painted on their face is led past a rubble heap beside a building previously destroyed by an air-strike in Gaza, 21 May, 2021. Source: AP via AAP
Five more bodies were pulled from Gaza's rubble, taking the death toll to 248, including 66 children, with more than 1,900 wounded.
The Israeli military said an Israeli soldier had been killed as well as 12 civilians, including two children. Hundreds were treated for injuries after rocket salvoes caused panic and sent people as far away as Tel Aviv rushing into shelters.
World Health Organization spokeswoman Margaret Harris said Gaza's health facilities were in danger of being overwhelmed by the thousands of injuries.
She called for immediate access into the Gaza Strip for health supplies and personnel. "The real challenges are the closures," she told a virtual UN briefing.
Gaza has for years been subjected to an Israeli blockade that restricts the passage of people and goods, as well as restrictions by Egypt.
Both countries cite concerns about weapons reaching Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza and led the rocket barrage. Palestinians say the restrictions amount to collective punishment of Gaza's two million population.
Fabrizio Carboni, regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross, echoed WHO's call for urgent medical supplies, adding: "It will take years to rebuild - and even more to rebuild the fractured lives."
US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that aid would be sent quickly to Gaza, but coordinated with the Palestinian Authority - run by Hamas' rival, President Mahmoud Abbas, and based in the West Bank - "in a manner that does not permit Hamas to simply restock its military arsenal".
Both leaders claim 'victory'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a televised address to Israelis, saying the operation had damaged Hamas's ability to launch missiles at Israel.
He said Israel had destroyed Hamas's extensive tunnel network, its rocket factories, weapons laboratories and storage facilities, and killed more than 200 militants, including 25 senior figures.
"Hamas can't hide anymore. That's a great achievement for Israel," he said.
"We eliminated an important part of Hamas's and Islamic Jihad's command echelon. And whoever was not killed knows today that our long arm can reach him anywhere, above ground or underground."
Israel said Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other militant groups fired around 4,350 rockets from Gaza during the conflict, of which around 640 fell short into the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said that 90 per cent of those that crossed the border had been intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system.
A family passes the rubble from a building previously destroyed in an air-strike in Gaza after a ceasefire was reached. on 21 May, 2021. Source: AP via AAP
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh cast the fighting as successful resistance to a militarily and economically stronger foe.
"We will rebuild what the occupation (Israel) destroyed and restore our capabilities," he said, "and we will not abandon our obligations and duties to the families of martyrs, the wounded and those whose homes were destroyed."
Haniyeh expressed gratitude to Egyptian, Qatari and UN mediators, and to Iran, "which has not given up on providing the resistance with money, weapons and technology".
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Muslim states in a statement to "support the Palestinian people, through military ... or financial support ... or in rebuilding Gaza's infrastructure".
Ezzat el-Reshiq, a senior member of the Hamas political bureau, told Reuters in Doha the movement's demands included protection for the Al-Aqsa mosque, and for Palestinians threatened with eviction from their homes in East Jerusalem.
Tensions at Al-Aqsa mosque
The Israel-Hamas hostilities were set off on 10 May in part by Israeli police raids on the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and clashes with Palestinians during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Thousands gathered there again for this Friday's prayers, with many demonstrating in support of Gaza.
Israeli police fired stun grenades towards demonstrators, who threw rocks and petrol bombs at officers, and Palestinian medics said some 20 Palestinians were wounded.
The confrontations died down within about an hour, with Israeli police pulling back to the compound's gates.
Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations brokered the truce between Israel and the Palestinian armed groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Egypt is also sending two delegations to Tel Aviv and the Palestinian territories to monitor the ceasefire implementation "and procedures to maintain stable conditions permanently".
Palestinians enjoy the beach in Gaza City on 21 May, 2021 as a ceasefire took effect after an 11-day war between Gaza's Hamas rulers and Israel. Source: Getty Images Europe
White House spokesman Jen Psaki said that "our engagement with the leader of Egypt was a key part of that discussion and a key part of bringing an end to the conflict, given their important relationship with Hamas".
The biggest obstacle to securing a deal was concern from Israel and Hamas about the public reactions from their own side, and their opponents, if they accepted a ceasefire, two Egyptian security sources said.
"In our negotiations with the two parties, we depended on the need for each of them to see the scale of the damage done to civilians, and we charged each party with its criminal and international liabilities towards civilians," one of the sources said.
