Thousands of Israeli soldiers prepare for Gaza pullout

With shocking speed, the Israeli military has transformed a barren field into a massive base complete with fast food restaurants, mobile phone stores and thousands of soldiers preparing to dismantle 21 Gaza Strip settlements in the largest noncombat operation in the army’s history.

An estimated 55,000 soldiers and police are mobilising to take part in Israel’s pullout from Gaza and its evacuation of four settlements in the northern West Bank, expected to begin in two weeks. The government says it expects the majority of the 8,500 Gaza settlers to leave before the deadline, but is readying its security forces to confront the holdouts.