Israeli security forces continued to pour into the Gaza Strip this evening as the deadline for the evacuation of Jewish settlements in the territory passed.
Israeli police arrest anti-disengagement activists trying to prevent the entry of shipping containers into Neve Dekalim, the largest Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip.
Soldiers and police took control of Neve Dekalim from early morning to ensure the evacuation of the largest Gaza settlement.
Many left without serious incident but there were scuffles with youths and supporters who had travelled to the area to support the dispossessed settlers.
Dozens of protesters were dragged away, some kicking and punching. But after dark the scuffles had died down and unarmed troops marched into the flashpoint of settler resistance.
The army called it a last effort to persuade people to leave voluntarily.
Dozens of buses carrying troops rolled toward settlements. A force of 50,000 has been assembled for the pullout. Despite the scenes of defiance, many settlers packed up and joined an exodus that Israel says will mark the end of its 38-year occupation of the Gaza Strip.
Dugit, a largely secular settlement on the northern edge of the strip, became the first Gaza enclave to be completely evacuated when the last of its 79 residents left today.
Pullout coordinator Eival Giladi said close to 50 per cent of the settlers had left. He said he guessed that evacuating the rest could take up to two weeks. He also said the pull-out was going according to schedule.
Hardline settlers have vowed to stay on land they believed was bequeathed to the Jewish people by God. Security officials fear a hard core of ultranationalists, including 5,000 who had infiltrated the settlements in recent weeks, could turn violent.
Black smoke billows from a bonfire of property set ablaze by departing Jewish settlers, in the Jewish settlement of Bedolah, in the Gush Katif bloc of settlements.
All 8,500 residents of Gaza settlements are to be evacuated along with four of 120 settlements in the West Bank under the plan, supported by most Israelis.
About 1.4 million Palestinians live in densely populated cities and refugee camps on the other side of Gaza's barbed wire.
Palestinian militants claim the withdrawal as a victory and Israeli opponents say it is a surrender to violence, while the international community hopes the move championed by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will be a catalyst for renewed peacemaking efforts.
Anyone left after midnight (10.00 Irish time) could be removed by force, and if they are settlers they could lose part of their compensation.
There have been days of celebrations among Palestinians and tonight a rally organised by the militant group Hamas attracted 4,000 people in the town of Khan Younis, adjacent to Neve Dekalim.
Palestinians welcome Israel 's withdrawal from land captured in the 1967 Middle East war. However, they fear Mr Sharon devised the plan as a ruse to cement Israel's hold on most of the West Bank, where 230,000 settlers and 2.4 million Palestinians live.