Hardline Jewish settlers who remain beyond tomorrow morning's deadline in settlements slated for evacuation will face eviction by thousands of unarmed troops.
Settler leaders expect that up to half of the occupied Gaza Strip's 8,000 residents, as well as thousands of ultra-nationalists who have illegally infiltrated the area, will remain after the expiry of a 48-hour "grace" period.
The residents of at least five of the area's 21 settlements yesterday barricaded themselves into their gated communities, refusing to allow troops to enter to serve eviction notices. Many have stockpiled food and vowed that they will remain in their homes until they are evicted in the operation which is due to last three weeks.
Israel plans to dismantle all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and four out of 120 in the northern West Bank, all constructed on land the Jewish state has occupied for 38 years. The withdrawal marks the first time Israel has given up settlements in territory claimed by the Palestinians for their future state. Ultra-nationalist religious settlers fiercely oppose any moves to turn over to Palestinians land which they see as their biblical inheritance.
Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, who devised the pull-out plan to "disengage" from the Palestinians, says the move will improve Israel's security. In a televised speech to the nation last night, Mr Sharon said the Gaza pull-out was a painful step, both for the nation and for himself, but that it was essential for Israel's future.
He said it was now up to the Palestinians to clamp down on militants and stop violence. "To an outstretched hand we will respond with an olive branch," he added.
For most of his political career, Mr Sharon has led Jewish settlement expansion and as recently as two years ago he vowed that Israel would not give up even small, isolated Gaza settlements.
"But the changing reality in the nation, region and world made me change my mind and change my position," he said last night. "We cannot hold Gaza for good. More than a million Palestinians live there, doubling their numbers every generation."
Troops who entered Gaza yesterday morning avoided confronting protesting residents, but instead went door to door in settlements where there was no resistance, telling residents to leave by tomorrow. In the largest Gaza settlement, Neveh Dekalim, settlers blocked the main entrance throughout the day.
They permitted a convoy of moving trucks to enter the settlement in the afternoon, but in the early evening some settlers clashed with truck drivers who they barred from entering the fenced-off community. The Israeli authorities said food supplies were cut off from yesterday.
In the largely empty Nissanit settlement in the north of Gaza, soldiers and settlers cried in mourning as they removed sacred objects from the synagogue. All homes and synagogues are to be demolished after the withdrawal, leaving the area to be redeveloped by its 1.2 million Palestinians.
Israeli officials say 66 per cent of the Gaza settlers have accepted state compensation deals, which include temporary housing. Those who refuse to evacuate could lose a third of the money, which averages out at €300,000 per family.