Israeli officials now say that over 80% of settlers in Gaza have been evacuated under the disengagement plan of the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, which is said to be far ahead of schedule.
As sundown marked the start of the Jewish Sabbath, during which the withdrawal operation will be suspended for 24 hours, 17 of 21 settlements in Gaza and two of four in the West Bank slated for removal have been vacated.
However, strong opposition is expected in the two remaining West Bank settlements of Sanur and Homesh, where an influx of extreme right wing Israelis is thought to have come from elsewhere in the West Bank.
Earlier today, Israeli troops entered a synagogue in the Gadid settlement to remove settlers and protestors in one of the final areas of resistance to the pullout plan.
It came after Israeli troops completed the eviction of hardliners from two key settlements in the Gaza Strip last night.
There were violent clashes between Jewish protesters and soldiers when the army stormed the settlements of Kfar Darom and Neve Dekalim.
Several Israeli police were injured after radicals threw acid at forces attempting to evacuate the Kfar Darom synagogue where residents had taken refuge.
Dozens of riot police used cranes, ladders and water cannon to remove protesters from the rooftop of the synagogue.
Nearly all the families in the Kfar Darom settlement had refused to leave their homes.
