Inside Palestine's besieged Areas "A" - how the Ramallah bubble was created and how it might burst.

The United Nations has voted overwhelmingly to recognise a Palestinian state. The vote, which was taken at a meeting of the body in New York on Thursday, represents a long-sought victory for the Palestinians but a diplomatic defeat for the US, with 138 countries voting in favour of the upgrade. Nine countries including the US and Israel voted against it while 41 others abstained. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports from New York.

The Palestinian bid for longed-for although indirect recognition as a state is expected to pass easily when presented to the 193-nation General Assembly in New York later. There are dissenters, though; a handful of states, including Israel and the US, are expected to vote against. US diplomats have made a last-ditch attempt to persuade Mahmoud Abbas to opt for dialogue with Israel.

Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip ended in a ceasefire last week with the final toll standing at around 170 Palestinians killed, and more than 700 wounded. Meanwhile in Israel, four Israeli civilians and two Israeli soldiers were killed, along with dozens of others wounded, in Palestinian attacks. We're joined from Cairo by Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous, who has just returned to Cairo after several days in Gaza. "Gaza's damage is severe," Kouddous says.

Hamas has begun to survey the damage caused in Gaza by eight days of Israeli air raids. The total economic cost of the damage is estimated at $1.2bn. Damage to properties - 8,000 houses, 200 residential buildings, 43 government offices and three mosques - total $545m. Though Gaza's factories were not hit as hard as in the 2008 bombings, when the main industrial zone was reduced to rubble, dozens of factories were still damaged or destroyed during the fighting. Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports from Gaza on one family who are still reeling from the financial and personal aftermath of the destruction of their factory in the Jabalyia refugee camp.

Smugglers bringing in goods to Gaza from Egypt have taken a hit after the recent Israeli attacks of the strip. Bombs have destroyed many tunnels used to keep Gaza's economy running. Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reports from Rafah.