As truce takes effect, the two sides each claim victory, but they don’t have the same measures of success

Amid the start of a cease-fire between Israel and militant group Hamas, Israeli police and Palestinians clashed at a Jerusalem mosque that has been at the center of the 11-day conflict. 

TEL AVIV—Hamas wasted no time in proclaiming victory once a cease-fire with Israel took effect Friday, ending 11 days of fighting. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, by contrast, was assailed by political foes and allies for what they characterized as a premature end to the campaign.

As the previous rounds of Middle East conflicts show, however, immediate appearances don’t necessarily reflect the long-term outcomes. In 2006, Israel was widely viewed as having at best secured a draw against Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia. But it marked the end of Hezbollah’s cross-border attacks.