Monday, September 12 2005 13:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jerusalem: Thousands of jubilant Palestinians today (Sept 12, 2005) rushed into abandoned Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, setting empty synagogues ablaze and firing in the air, as the last of the Israeli soldier left the area ending 38 years of occupation.

Palestinians danced, planted their national flags on the houses left behind by Israeli settlers, and fired celebratory shots in the air to mark the historic occasion, brought about by a unilateral withdrawal announced by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon last year.

Youths set afire several of the synagogues still standing in the area, which had witnessed violence and bloodshed for long, as Palestinian policemen, who started moving into the area late last night, watched helplessly.

The last Israeli soldier left the Kissufim settlement in Gaza Strip at around 6.50 AM (0920 IST), drawing curtains on four decades of violent occupation of the Palestinian territory.

Israel's Gaza divisional commander General Avi Kochavi was the last person to leave the settlement. He later said an era has come to an end with the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, who was in the Gaza Strip to witness the historic moment, was ecstatic and said "This is a day of happiness and joy that the Palestinian people have not witnessed for a century."

The departure of troops, which took place under the cover of darkness, was quiet unlike the chaotic evacuation of Jewish settlers, who resisted Israeli security men with full force, last month.

In a landmark vote, the Israeli Cabinet had yesterday (Sept 11, 2005) unanimously approved the withdrawal of its troops from the Gaza Strip.

It also gave a nod to pullout of troops from the Philadelphi route, along the Gaza-Egypt border, where Egyptian and Palestinian forces began their deployment on Saturday.

Palestinians have argued that an Israeli presence on the route would keep them choked, blocking there only way to interact with the outer world.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority said it would demolish all the synagogues in the 21 former settlements today.

Israeli ministers had yesterday decided to leave the 20-odd structures still standing and their fate up to the Palestinians, brushed aside the last potential stumbling block in the completion of the withdrawal.