GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Islamic Jihad leader Mohammad Hindi on Friday said resistance fighters had "taught Israel a lesson," at a festival in Gaza City.

Islamic Jihad held a rally after noon prayers at Omari mosque to celebrate what is being hailed locally as a victory against Israel in the eight-day war that ended with a ceasefire Wednesday.

Hindi noted that militants in Gaza had sent missiles to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and said the resolve of Palestinians destroyed Israeli "illusions" that it deterred or eliminated the resistance in Gaza.

He said that even though Israel assassinated Hamas military commander Ahmad al-Jaabari, it could not kill Palestinians' steadfastness, which he described as "a source of patience, fortitude and resilience."

He added that al-Jaabari had managed to keep Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for five years and was a symbol of the resistance.

Hindi also called on factions to speed up the implementation of national reconciliation.