Israeli troops rout Jewish extremists in Gaza

HUNDREDS of Israeli soldiers raided a Gaza Strip hotel yesterday to remove about 150 Jewish extremists who barricaded themselves inside several weeks ago to protest Israel's planned Gaza pull-out.

The raid took place hours after the army sealed off Gaza, declaring it a "closed military zone" to prevent Jewish extremists from going in following several violent confrontations between settlers and soldiers.

About 10 busloads of soldiers and paramilitary police went room-to-room to remove the squatters who had stockpiled food and surrounded the Palm Beach Hotel with barbed wire. Some squatters were carried out by soldiers, and arrests were reported.