Israel expects most settlers to leave before Gaza clearance

Israel expects two-thirds of the 9,000 settlers in the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements due for evacuation to leave before troops arrive to clear the settlements, a senior Israeli official said today.

“In my view when the Israeli Defence Force enters, it will be met by only about a third of the settlers,” said Yonatan Bassi, who heads the agency in charge of compensating uprooted settlers.