Israeli security forces had to sneak into the back of the Gaza Strip's largest settlement to hand out eviction notices to defiant residents yesterday after protestors initially prompted them to freeze the operation, military sources said.
A few hours after officials, confronted by locked gates at the settlement's entrance, announced they would not force their way into Neve Dekalim, a joint force of troops and police managed to maneuver their way in through the back.
"A portion of soldiers did succeed in entering the community through the back," a military source told reporters on condition of anonymity. "The notices have started going out," she added.
Army officers were handing out the notices to the heads of households along with police officers, the source added.
"There have not been reports of any resistance from the residents in their homes so far," she said.
A military official told reporters that the forces had managed to enter Neve Dekalim through the industrial zone after being confronted with a mass show of defiance at the entrance.
Police spokesman Superintendent Eli Levi said earlier that the security forces would not force their way in.
"We are not going to enter the settlement. They have two days to evacuate of their free own will but at midnight [today], it's the end," he told reporters.
Black smoke from burning tires curled into the air as scores of settlers linked arms and tried to block the troops at the entrance. Scuffles ensued and most of the troops turned back.
Earlier, close to a thousand settlers massed at the main gate singing, praying and calling on soldiers and police to disobey orders in the first sign of active resistance since the official start of the Israeli withdrawal at midnight.
"Soldier, policeman -- refuse the orders," they chanted in unison as around 60 unarmed police clad in black lined up in front of the gate.
The joint police and army operation to hand out the eviction notices in all 21 settlements began at around 7am.
Settler defiance raised its head early yesterday shortly after the official start of the pullout operation at midnight, when hundreds of furious youths began rioting just outside the main gate.
The protesters, most of them adolescents, swarmed on passing vehicles, smashing windows and slashing tires in a rampage which continued until settlement security officials arrived at the scene 40 minutes later.
"This is not what we planned but we cannot control these young people," one of the main leaders of Yesha, Shaul Goldstein, told reporters. "This activity undermines our struggle."
Meanwhile, the Israeli cabinet approved the second stage of the Gaza withdrawal plan, which includes all settlements in the Gush Katif settlement block, yesterday morning, Israel Radio reported.
The vote was 16 ministers in favor and four opposed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS