Page "Gaza Strip" Paragraph 22

The Second Intifada broke out in September 2000 with its waves of protest, civil unrest and bombings against Israeli military and civilians, many of them perpetrated by suicide bombers, and the beginning of rockets and bombings of Israeli border localities by Palestinian guerrillas from Gaza Strip, especially from Hamas and Jihad Islamic movements.

In February 2005, the Israeli government voted to implement a unilateral disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip.

The plan began to be implemented on 15 August 2005, and was completed on 12 September 2005.

Under the plan, all Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip ( and four in the West Bank ) and the joint Israeli-Palestinian Erez Industrial Zone were dismantled with the removal of all 9, 000 Israeli settlers ( most of them in the Gush Katif settlement area in the Strip's southwest ) and military bases.

On 12 September 2005 the Israeli cabinet formally declared an end to Israeli military occupation of the Gaza Strip.

To avoid allegations that it was still in occupation of any part of the Gaza Strip, Israel also withdrew from the Philadelphi Route, which is a narrow strip adjacent to the Strip's border with Egypt, after Egypt's agreement to secure its side of the border.

Under the Oslo Accords the Philadelphi Route was to remain under Israeli control to prevent the smuggling of weapons and people across the border with Egypt.

With Egypt agreeing to patrol its side of the border, it was hoped that the objective would be achieved.

However, Israel maintained its control over the crossings in and out of Gaza.

The Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza was monitored by the Israeli army through special surveillance cameras.