Tisha B'Av 5765

As of midnight: Gaza, West Bank crossings shut down

Israel shut the gates to the Gaza Strip at midnight on Sunday, at the beginning of the end of a 38-year presence.

Implementing the government's disengagement plan, the army was poised to fan out across the settlements during Monday, handing out eviction orders to about half of the settlers who have so far refused to leave. On Wednesday, the physical evacuation will begin, with settlers forcibly removed from their homes if necessary.

All day Sunday, trucks and cars hauling trailers filled with possessions rumbled out of the Strip as settler families left.