Attacks in Gaza Summer 2014- Who actually won?

       

One of this summer's bombings that played a role in the destruction of Gaza.

      The attacks in Gaza this summer took the lives of 2000 innocent people, hundreds of which were children and infants. Israel's irresponsible use of bombs and missiles was the cause of all this civilian death and complete destruction of Gaza. This attack destroyed the economy(it was already horrible, but it managed to get even worse), the stability(it wasn't really ever stable either, but once again, from bad to worse), and any potential hope of peace between the two areas. On the Israeli side, the only civilians killed were the three teens which initiated the attacks among 30-70 Israeli soldiers hit by Hamas missiles. Through these statistics, it would be an obvious claim to who won and who lost, but surprisingly, Hamas have claimed victory in these attacks.
   The ceasefire saw Hamas get no more than what they had in 2012. They claimed that they have "stopped Israel from a ground invasion" and the permanent destruction of Gaza. These claims do not sound anything like a victory, but if anything delaying the inevitable. While Israel's intentions are unclear and there is seemingly  no point to the complete annihilation of Gaza, it is a real possibility that they may at some point take Gaza, as they have done to the rest of Palestine. The rubble that remains of Gaza should serve as a lesson to Hamas that Israel will not hold back, especially for the pointless murder of civilians.
    Although Israel may have been able to make a claim that the attacks were purely in the interest of self-defense, the fact that 80 percent of those killed in the attacks were innocent civilians seems to refute any of such claims. One of the many notorious bombings perpetrated by Israel was one on a UN School building providing shelter for children. This attack killed 15 people, most of which were children, and left 200 wounded. This is just one of many incidents that must be globally condemned and put to a stop. An attack that solely saw the killings of Hamas members may be justified through means of self defense, but attacks that see 2000 innocent people killed, 10,000 wounded, and 500,000 displaced must be brought to attention.
     In truth, there are no winners or losers to this conflict. There is only a culprit and a victim. Gaza has fallen victim to Israel's ruthless attacks, and with the poor leadership of Hamas, it may remain this way for a long time. Peace seems a world a way in  Gaza, an area that only knows war. More to follow....

The militant group Hamas were elected to rule Gaza in 2006, and since the start of their rule, have not contributed much other than increased destruction of the area.