Netzarim, the last Israeli settlement left to be dismantled, will be evacuated on Monday, putting an end of an era of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli troops reportedly entered the town early in the day asking the settlement's inhabitants to leave their homes, marking the final stage of the removal of Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip, according to Haaretz daily.
The settlement has been a symbol of Israeli-Palestinian strife over the years, and was the site of many attacks. The nearby juntion marks the spot where 12-year old Muhammad Dura was killed during the first month of the Al Aqsa intifada.
Israeli miiltary sources stated that they expect the pullout to proceed without disruption of protesters, which marred the evacuation process at several other settlements in recent days.
However, about 200 pullout opponents have reportedly entered the settlement illegally in recent hours, raising fears that the evacuation many not go as smoothly as planned.
The evacuation from Netzarim follows the evacuationon Sunday of seven other settlements: Slav, Katif, Dugit, Neveh Dekalim, Atzmona, Elei Sinai and Nisanit.
Meanwhile, the demolition of evacuated settlement buildings continues. Currently, nearly 200 bulldozers await demolition orders from Israeli commanders in the area.
On Sunday, 50 bulldozers operated in Gaza tearing down evacuated structures in the settlements of Nitzanit, Dugit, Peat Sadeh and Ganei Tal, where some 40 houses came down in one hour.
More than three-quarters of the rubble from demolished homes will be recycled for use as future building material by Palestinians. The rest will most likely be shipped out of the Gaza Strip to Egypt, where it will be disposed of in the Sinai.
