Amman  - Head of Hamas' politburo Khalid Mashaal claimed "unequivocal victory" Wednesday over Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, saying it would pave the way for the "liberation of Jerusalem" and other Palestinian territories.

He also urged new US President Barack Obama and European leaders to take the "required lessons" from their countries' support to the "Israeli aggression".

Damascus-based Mashaal made the remarks in a recorded address screened by the Doha-based Aljazeera television network.

"This is the first real war which the Palestinian people wage and win over the Palestinian soil," Mashaal said.

"The Gaza battle represents a turning point in the conflict with the enemy because it sets the stage for a serious and effective liberation strategy.

"The liberation of Palestine is no longer a dream, but it has become a reality, thanks to the steadfastness of the resistance in Gaza," he said.

He said the Gaza offensive was a "total defeat for Israel" because it failed to achieve its goal including the ouster of Hamas from Gaza.

"Instead, Hamas emerged stronger with enhanced Arab, Islamic and world backing," he said. "The only success scored by Israel was the killing of more than 1300 and injury of about 6,000 people, half of them children and women."

He urged "the wise men of the world", including Obama and European leaders currently meeting in Brussels, "to derive the required lessons" from their countries' "shameful" backing of the Israeli offensive "by putting pressure on Israel".

He urged donors for the Gaza reconstruction to oversee the spending of their money and not to give their funds to "the corrupted", a reference to the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas.

Mashaal said that any reconciliation with Abbas' Fatah group should be preceded by the release of Hamas militants held by the Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and "stopping security coordination with Israel" by the Palestinian government. (dpa)