As Israel withdraws, Gaza burns [View All]

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As Israel withdraws, Gaza burns
The Star
Lara Sukhtian
September 12, 2005

Thousands of jubilant Palestinians poured in to abandoned Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip on Monday, setting fire to empty synagogues and shooting into the air.

The chaos came as the last Israeli soldier left, completing Israel's exit from the territory after 38 years of occupation.

Palestinian police in the settlements stood by helplessly as gunmen raised the flags of militant groups and crowds smashed what was left in the ruins or walked off with doors, window frames, toilets and scrap metal.

Initial plans by police to bar crowds for the first few hours quickly disintegrated, illustrating the weakness of Palestinian security forces and fuelling concerns about chaos after Israel's exit.

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