Israel has sent thousands of soldiers into the Gaza Strip to deliver eviction notices to 8500 settlers who are under orders to leave the territory by Wednesday.
Soldiers and police had intended to enter all 21 Jewish settlements to deliver eviction notices. But their entry was blocked today-Monday in at least five settlements by young people opposed to the pullout.
Angry occupants of the Neve Dekalim settlement burned tires and formed human chains to block access.
Israeli military officials warned that, as of Wednesday, they will forcibly remove any Israeli who remains in the territory.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon proposed the Gaza pullout last year, saying the cost in Israeli lives and money was too high for protecting 8500 settlers surrounded by more than one million Gaza Palestinians. Israel captured the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war.
Information for this report is provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
