Israel Israel has closed the Kissufim border crossing on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip in a symbolic gesture marking the beginning of the disengagement.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has begun entering settlements to hand out official evacuation notices to settlers, explaining that they have 48 hours to leave and receive help in doing so, after which they will be forcefully evacuated.

Soldiers have agreed to refrain from entering five settlements – Netzarim, Kfar Darom, Dugit, Azmona and Katif – to hand out the notices.
In these settlements, settlement security chiefs will make the details of evacuation notice clear to remaining families.
The army was further initially unable to enter either Neveh Dakalim or Gadid, where residents had closed all the gates leading into the settlements and set up roadblocks.
The Israeli cabinet today approved the second stage of the disengagement by 16-4.
Under the revised disengagement plan, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was forced to concede his cabinet the right to vote on each stage of the withdrawal.
The first stage of the disengagement, encompassing Netzarim, Kfar Darom and Morag, passed at a previous session.
This stage deals with the entire Gush Katif bloc.
Reports suggest that the northern Gaza settlement of Nisanit is now nearly empty.
The settlement's secretary says that only ten families are left, though some religious families opposed to the disengagement have joined them.
The three northern settlements of Nisanit, Dugit and Elei Sinai are considered the â€کeasier, settlements.
The Israeli army expects most of Dugit's residents to leave on Monday, and those in Elei Sinai to leave Tuesday, before the Wednesday deadline.
Even hard-line Elei Sinai resident Avi Farhan, who initially claimed he would seek Palestinian citizenship in Gaza, seem set to leave eventually.
Palestine Islamic Jihad staged its first parade in Gaza City, to celebrate Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip.
The parade, which began at midnight and was timed to coincide with Israel's symbolic closure of the Kissufim border crossing, traveled through the streets of Gaza City ending at the square of the unknown soldier.

Further celebrations are planned Monday.
Parades and processions are expected along the road between Rafah and Khan Younis and on the road leading from the Kissufim crossing to the Gush Katif bloc of settlements.
A sound technician working for French television has been kidnapped, Agence France Press has reported.
The individual has not yet been identified, and his location and kidnappers remain unknown.
The kidnapping is the fifth in the last month.
Palestinians fired two mortar shells at the Gaza settlement of Gadid, early Monday morning.
The attack was preceded by gunfire directed at tents housing anti-disengagement protestors in the settlement of Kfar Darom.
The gunfire temporarily interrupted the deployment of 7,500 Palestinian police, who are charged with preventing attacks on the settlements, settlers and the forces evacuating them.