Israel The evacuation of the settlements in the Gaza Strip could be complete within ten days, according to the Israeli army.
Haaretz reports today that the army expect anywhere between 200-300 families to leave Gaza before the Wednesday deadline, after which forcible evacuations will begin.

The northern settlement of Dugit is said to be almost entirely empty, and there are only two families left in the southern settlements of Pe,at Saadeh and Rafiah Yam in the south.
Residents of Elei Sinai were also set to leave by Wednesday but reneged on their agreement with the army after learning that they would not be re-housed as a community.

Thus far, the Israeli army estimates around 600 families have left.
However, the number of residents in the settlements has been swelled by up to 5000 hard-line anti-disengagement activists who have proved more confrontational than the settlers themselves.
The Israeli army has completed the deployment of the â€کthird ring, of soldiers, intended to prevent Palestinian attacks on settlers being evacuated from Gaza Strip settlements, and the soldiers evacuating them.

Troops moved into Khan Younis and Beit Hanun early Tuesday morning and are expected to stay there until all the settlers have left Gaza.
Meanwhile, Palestinian police completed their deployment around the settlements.
Some 7,500 police are charged with stopping Palestinian attacks and infiltration.

The police are dispersed throughout areas containing settlements and are required to remain at a minimum distance of 200 meters away from Israeli soldiers.
In an address to the nation yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the Palestinians that they “now bear the burden of proof.
� He warned that renewed attacks on Israel would be met with “fire, more severe than ever.
�
Sharon's speech came as the disengagement began, and he made reference to the divisions that have emerged within Israel as a result.
However, he said, the move was “good for Israel in any scenario.
� Palestine There is still no information on the kidnapping of French sound technician Mohamed Al Nawati.
Al Nawati, who was kidnapped late Sunday evening, is French of Algerian origin.
Some reports suggest the Palestinian security services have made contact with his kidnappers, however no official information on his whereabouts, the identities of his kidnappers or their demands has been made available.

Al Nawati's kidnapping is the most recent in an increasingly frequent set of kidnappings throughout Gaza in the last year.
However, Al Nawati has now been held longer than any of those kidnapped before him.
The last of the United Nations, non-essential foreign staff left Gaza today.
The staff members are being evacuated to Jerusalem or Amman in response to a spate of kidnappings, many of which involved UN staff.
While the kidnapped staff-members were released relatively quickly and physically unharmed, the frequency of kidnappings has increased, making the presence of non-essential foreign staff in Gaza untenable.
Early this morning the Israeli army sealed the only gate leading to the isolated area of Al Siafa, in the north Beit Lahia.
They first allowed residents to store food and bring a large refrigerator into the enclave.
The army notified the Palestinian residents that the area would be sealed until further notice.
Around 7am this morning, Israeli soldiers broke into and occupied the house of Riad Zindah, south of Dugit in the north of Gaza.
Soldiers evicted the family residing the house and turned it into a military post.
They notified the family that the house would be occupied until the evacuation of the settlement was complete.
The Israeli army maintained the closure of the Erez crossing for the third day.
However, some owners of factories located inside the Erez Industrial Zone have been allowed to enter the zone since the closure began.
Additionally, 37 workers carrying permits to enter Israel as journalists, or in serious humanitarian circumstances continued to be allowed access to Israel.
The crossing has otherwise been closed to Palestinian workers in Israel and the industrial zone.
In the early morning, the Israeli army evacuated a military camp east of Netzarim settlement.
A few hours later, the army occupied the house of Hussein Al Aaydi in the same area and turned it into a military post.
They also surrounded two nearby houses owned by Al Aydi's two cousins.
At 1am today, the Israeli army broke into and occupied the house of Raji Marzouq As Smiri, north of the Kissufim road.
Soldiers are using it as a military post.
At approximately 1:40am today, the Israeli army broke into the house of Atta Saeed Al Helou.
They occupied the roof of the house for use as a watch post.
The residents of the house, which is located near the settlement of Netzarim, were not at home at the time and were notified of the incident by their relatives.
The Israeli army today notified the Palestinian National Authority that the Abu Holi checkpoint would be open from 8pm until 1am every day from Wednesday 17 August.
The checkpoint was open between 6am and 7.
20pm today.
The closure of the Al Muwasi areas in Rafah and Khan Younis went into its tenth day today.
Meanwhile, residents of the Al Muwasi area in Khan Younis reported to the Center's fieldworkers that some 15 settlers attacked the house and family of Saadi Al Farra inside the isolated enclave.
The settlers reportedly came from Neve Dakalim, according to eyewitnesses.
No casualties were reported.
In the early morning today, the Israeli army entered the An Najjar and Al Lahham neighborhoods in Khan Younis.
They arrested three Palestinians: Mohannad An Najjar, Sadi Zourob, and Ali Al Lahham.
Several residents of the Al Muwasi area of Khan Younis have also been rounded up and detained, according to residents of Khan Younis.
International The Malaysian Foreign Minister Sayed Hamid Al Bar said today that Israel's disengagement from Gaza demonstrated that Israel understood the Palestinian territory was occupied and expressed the hope that the withdrawal from Gaza would be the first in a series of withdrawals.

Calling the disengagement a “first small step� Al Bar called for Israel to adhere to the Road Map and continue to withdraw from Palestinian land.
The four sponsors of the Middle East peace plan known as the Road Map are set to meet in September to discuss the situation in the wake of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The sponsors – the UN, US, European Union and Russia – will meet on the sidelines of a UN summit scheduled for 14-16 September this year, according to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Dujarric also said that Annan remains optimistic that the disengagement will be carried out smoothly and peacefully.