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Troops pour into settlement
16/08/2005 20:38 - (SA)
Neve Dekalim - Hundreds of Israeli soldiers and police piled into the main Gaza Strip settlement on Tuesday where they were to evacuate remaining Jewish settlers, AFP correspondents reported.
The main road leading from the gates of Neve Dekalim to the municipal headquarters was thronged with soldiers and police, they said.
It came shortly after the general in charge of the pull-out operation, Dan Harel, announced that the operation to uproot settlers from Neve Dekalim would start "this minute".
The streets were largely empty of residents as the police and soldiers moved in, apparently taken by surprise by the rapid deployment which came several hours before a midnight (21:00 GMT) deadline for settlers to leave voluntarily or face forcible eviction.
Harel told reporters that the army would also head to other Gaza settlements without specifying which ones and expressed hope that the pull-out - which is being carried out by unarmed police and soldiers - would be non-violent.
"We informed the leaders of the settlers about our decision," he said. "The evacuation will not be violent, at least until tomorrow."
"We're going to outnumber everybody. We have the technology, the knowledge and the will to confront all those," who are try to stop us carrying out our duties, the general added.
"When someone is fired at we have the right to fire back, but we expect the violence to be at a very low level," he stressed.
An army spokesperson said that the troops who had entered Neve Dekalim were there to "provide assistance" for residents to leave before the morning.
"The forces are entering the houses and asking the residents once again to take the buses out of the Gaza Strip or, until midnight, they can go in their private vehicles.
"Those who leave tonight will have a big advantage as they will have the right to return to their homes on a specific date and pack their belongings with a representative from the defence ministry."
Those who chose to stay until the morning faced having their possessions impounded for several months.
Neve Dekalim, regarded as the unofficial capital of the southern Gush Katif settlement bloc, was home to 2 500 of the 8 000 Gaza settlers who had made the Palestinian territory their home.
Although many have left in recent days, hundreds of right-wing activists have infiltrated the settlement recently, despite its status since several weeks as a closed military zone.
Hundreds of young opponents of the government's disengagement plan took refuge in three of the settlement's synagogues, laying their beds for the night.
Sleeping bags, bed rolls and large number of rucksacks were seen piled up near the synagogues, all three of which are housed in the same complex, an AFP correspondent said.
- AFP
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