BEIT HANOUN (Gaza Strip): Hours after Israeli troops pulled out the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, Abu Nabil Zaaneen, his wife and his eight children returned to their farm in the area and spent all Monday removing rubble, rocks and uprooted trees.

They scavEnged through the debris, looking for anything which could be repaired and reused, while two trucks transported and disposed of rubble and chunks of uprooted and cut-down citrus, olive and palm trees from the farm.

Situated on the northern tip of the Gaza Strip, Beit Hanoun and its 30,000 population remained occupied and sealed off by the Israeli army for six weeks.

Israel said its aim was to prevent Palestinian militant s from launching improvised rockets at the southern Israeli town of Sderout, which lies just outside the Strip.

Zaneen disagrees, pointing out that more than 10 missiles were fired while the Israeli army occupied the Beit Hanoun. “The aim was to destroy the town,” he says.

He points out that while the town was occupied by more than 150 tanks, armoured personnel carriers, bulldozers, jeeps and dozens of troops, 15 Palestinians were killed, 70 were injured, 45 houses were either razed or destroyed and 70 houses were partially damaged.

Zaaneen, head of the town’s Palestinian Agricultural Cooperative, says that during the occupation Israeli army bulldozers razed 3000 dunams (acres) of land cultivated with tens of thousands of citrus, olive and palm trees and also destroyed 12 chicken pens, 15 greenhouses and 11 water wells.

Throughout the occupation, Israel armour drove without let-up on the main road that links Gaza Strip with its central and southern parts. They destroyed water and sewage pipes, electricity and telephone polls.

“We have been without telephones and living in darkness for forty days. The water we drink now is mixed with sewage after the tanks drove over the water and sewage pipes and damaged them,” says 24- year-old Fadi.

Since the outbreak of the Palestinian Intifada in September 2000, the Israeli army had stormed, repeatedly raided or reoccupied Beit Hanoun, either in a sweep of activists and militants or else to blow up houses and raze farms near the border with Israel.

“I dont believe this is the last pullout. They said before that they would not carry out incursions into the town, but they did almost every week. We do not believe that they pulled out, they are here and we can feel them,” Fadi says.

Immediately after the Israeli pullout, dozens of Palestinian police and security officers could be seen patrolling the main road near the town.

“The aim is to show Israel, the United States and the whole world that we are here and we are able to take security responsibility to help implement the “road map” peace plan,” says a Palestinian security officer.

He adds that he hopes the ceasefire between Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups and the Palestinian Authority would work and would help in rebuilding what has been destroyed.

Most Palestinians hope Israel will be committed to agreements reached, but they still doubt they have seen the end of the tough security and military measures Israel has imposed on them.—dpa