Gaza joy erupts as Israeli rule ends

JOYOUS Gazans flooded into empty Jewish settlements yesterday and Palestinians clambered over walls to the Egyptian side to join a chaotic celebration of the end of 38 years of Israeli military rule over the Gaza Strip.

Plans by Palestinian police to bar crowds from the settlements quickly disintegrated. Militants hoisted flags, fired wildly into the air and set abandoned synagogues ablaze, illustrating concerns about the security forces’ ability to control growing chaos in Gaza. The pull-out is widely seen as a test for Palestinian aspirations of statehood.

Among those crossing were purported members of the radical Islamic group, Hamas, who waved the group's green flag on Egyptian territory.