Prime Minister Ariel Sharon repeatedly has said, "There will be disengagement, and there will be no fire." Military officials have added that if there is fire, the government will halt the expulsion for 24 hours while the IDF deals with terrorism.
Several residents of Jewish Gaza left their homes on Sunday. The government officially has stated that the forced evacuation will start after August 15, the day after the Jewish fast day of Tisha B'Av.
Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres (Labor) said Monday morning that an agreement is imminent with Egypt on deployment of 750 Egyptian soldiers along the Philadelphi Route. The border road has been a prime source for smuggling weapons, ammunition and terrorists through underground tunnels from Egypt to Israel.
Senior army officers heading the Southern Command and the troops in the Gaza region have recommended that the IDF enter Gaza before mid-August in order to prevent terrorist attacks. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz rejected the recommendations, saying he wants to rely on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to provide security.
Deputy Defense Minister Zev Boim stated, "I don't see a possibility that simultaneously, if we come under fire during withdrawal, that we will be able to act massively against Palestinian terror to stop the fire and also to continue the withdrawal. We would deliver a harsh strike… The worst-case scenario would require 10 days to two weeks of a heavy strike against terror to uproot it."
Several residents of Jewish Gaza left their homes on Sunday. The government officially has stated that the forced evacuation will start after August 15, the day after the Jewish fast day of Tisha B'Av.
Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres (Labor) said Monday morning that an agreement is imminent with Egypt on deployment of 750 Egyptian soldiers along the Philadelphi Route. The border road has been a prime source for smuggling weapons, ammunition and terrorists through underground tunnels from Egypt to Israel.
Senior army officers heading the Southern Command and the troops in the Gaza region have recommended that the IDF enter Gaza before mid-August in order to prevent terrorist attacks. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz rejected the recommendations, saying he wants to rely on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to provide security.
Deputy Defense Minister Zev Boim stated, "I don't see a possibility that simultaneously, if we come under fire during withdrawal, that we will be able to act massively against Palestinian terror to stop the fire and also to continue the withdrawal. We would deliver a harsh strike… The worst-case scenario would require 10 days to two weeks of a heavy strike against terror to uproot it."