PR battle to continue

Officials said that the emphasis would be on post-war assistance.

In line with this message, Magen David Adom opened a field infirmary inside the Erez Crossing to treat Palestinian civilians. The clinic will work as an initial emergency room for the wounded and four ambulances will be available to transport patients to hospitals in the centre of the country.

“The humanitarian issue is something that we will put a stronger emphasis on now that the war is over,” said Yarden Vatikay, head of the Information Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office.

While Israel could expect new criticism and accusations from various NGOs, it would mostly be “politically-motivated” Mr Vatikay said.

“We believe that most of the world has accepted our narrative that Hamas is a terrorist organisation and that the operation was launched after a period of restraint and out of self-defence,” he said. “We do not need to apologise for what we did.”

Mr Vatikay’s team have begun sifting through hours of video footage filmed by troops and UAV drones in Gaza to prove that Israel opened fire because terrorists attacked first.

Around 4,000 houses, 51 government buildings and 20 mosques were destroyed during the campaign.

Nachman Shai, a former IDF chief spokesman, said that the destruction played an important role in instilling fear within Arabs hostile to the state.

“There will be a lot of anger within the Arab world but also fear since this operation was instrumental in restoring Israeli deterrence throughout the region,” Mr Shai said.