GAZA CITY, Aug 16: Hundreds of Israeli troops and police piled into the main Gaza settlement on Tuesday as they prepared to evict diehard settlers who have refused to leave of their own accord.
The unarmed soldiers and police poured into Neve Dekalim, minutes after the announcement by the official in charge of the pullout that the evacuation operation would begin ‘this minute’.
The main road leading from the gates of Neve Dekalim to the municipal headquarters was thronged with soldiers and police but largely empty of residents who appeared to have been taken by surprise with the announcement.
There was no immediate sign of soldiers trying to enter homes before the midnight (2100 GMT) deadline for people to exit voluntarily.—AFP
