Wednesday, August 17 2005 09:31 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Neve Dekalim (Gaza Strip): The deadline passed today (Aug 17, 2005) for Jewish settlers to evacuate the Gaza Strip, setting the stage for the Israeli troops to evict thousands of settlers.

While the stubborn settlers prepared for a final showdown in the main settlement of Neve Dekalim, a steady flow of sobbing Israelis streamed out of the Gaza Strip in buses and cars.

Officials said the troops will not evict any settler's overnight and the army would assist the settlers who want to leave voluntarily, even beyond the deadline.

Minutes before the deadline passed, extremists pelted eggs and stones at the soldiers who arrived in hundreds to clear the occupied Palestinian territory in the historic operation.

Earlier, a senior disengagement official had said that nearly half of the Gaza Strip settlers have left on their own and the remaining will be expelled by force.

"This plan is going as scheduled. Close to 50 per cent of the residents have left," senior disengagement official, Eival Giladi, told reporters.

The remaining will be evacuated with force, he said.

"I would say that in a few days, there will be no settlers or infiltrators left in Gaza," he asserted.