The police forces that belongs to the deposed government of Islamic Hamas movement re-controlled the Gaza Strip on Monday following an end of 22-day Israeli military offensive on the enclave.

Palestinian witnesses in Gaza City said that they saw dozens of Hamas interior ministry traffic policemen standing at main streets crossroads in the city to organize the traffic.

On Sunday and Monday, the streets in the Gaza Strip, mainly in the densely populated towns and cities, were overcrowded with traffic and pedestrians, just after Israel and Gaza factions had successively declared a ceasefire.

"Although, Minister of Interior Said Siam was assassinated during the war, the ministry is continuing its work upon a security plan that he (Siam) had approved," said Ihab al-Ghusein, Hamas-interior ministry spokesman in Gaza.

He added that the interior ministry would act "in order to keep and protect the internal Palestinian front, because Minister Siam said that protecting the internal front would support the armed resistance against the aggression."

On Sunday, deposed Premier Haneya said that the Israeli war on Gaza was a strategic victory for all the Palestinians, adding "this victory has to open the door for dialogue and inter reconciliation."

Official estimations of the health ministry said that 1,300 Palestinians were killed and 5,500 wounded, most of them were civilians. The housing ministry also said that 4,000 houses were completely destroyed, and 20,00 others were damaged.

In northern Gaza Strip, residents told local Radio stations that they heard intensive heavy gunfire in their area, adding that militants who still reject the truce with Israel exchanged fire with Israeli soldiers who are still present in the territory.

Most Palestinian factions and armed wing, including Hamas, had accepted on Sunday a ceasefire and gave Israel a one-week ultimatum to withdraw all its security forces from the whole Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, rival Fatah movement had warned Hamas to continue cracking down on the movement's members after the Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip had stopped on Sunday.

Fatah spokesman in the West Bank Fahmi al-Za'arir said in a written statement that his movement calls on Hamas not to crack down on Gaza Fatah movement leaders and members.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2009)