“A total Israeli withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip all military forces and civilian administrators–will be effected by dawn tomorrow, ” it was announced this afternoon by a United Nations spokesman here. “The headquarters of the United Nations Emergency Force will be transferred overnight from El Ballah, in the Sinai desert, to Gaza,” he added.
A spokesman for the Israel Army announced later that at 7 P. M. Israel forces in the Gaza area began to transfer the administration to the United Nations Emergency Force. The transfer will be completed by midnight, he declared, after which “not a single Israeli” will remain in the Strip. The evacuation of the Israeli forces from Sharm el Sheikh, in the Akaba area, will take place on Friday, the Israeli officer stated.
An Israeli order issued earlier in the day delaying the withdrawal of the Israeli troops from the Gaza area was recalled. This order was issued following an outbreak of looting and sniping by Arabs in the Gaza Strip, during which one Israeli soldier and one Arab civilian were killed and two Israeli soldiers wounded. The evacuation was later ordered carried out in a single sudden move to avoid Egyptian giving Egyptian agents in the Gaza Strip an opportunity for large-scale disturbances.
Indian and Swedish units of the United Nations Emergency Force have already begun moving into the Gaza Strip. In view of the time set for the carrying out of the entire transfer operation, it was indicated that the United Nations had not accepted the original suggestion for a meticulous detailed handing over of the civilian administration which would have enabled a smooth continuation of economic development projects initiated by outgoing Israeli officials.
FEDAYEEN AMBUSH ISRAELI MILITARY AND CIVILIAN VEHICLES
Prior to starting the withdrawal, the Israel military authorities clamped down a curfew as fedayeen who had made their way back to the Gaza Strip began ambushing Israeli military and civilian vehicles. The signal for the outbreak of fedayeen activities appears to have been an announcement by Radio Cairo that the Israelis would start the evacuation today. Among the incidents recorded by Israel Army headquarters were ambush of vehicles on a number of roads, firing on a train proceeding north from Raffah, and a hand grenade attack on a house in Gaza. Sniping occurred in the streets of the town of Gaza.
Israeli troops guarded United Nations Relief and Works Agency stores meant for the Palestine refugees and took up positions to protect UNRWA offices and personnel. All shops in Gaza remained closed and most shopkeepers removed their wares to their homes for protection. The chief fear was that mobs of refugees would stream through the town looting as they went.
It is believed that many of the fedayeen who took refuge in Jordan after Israel occupied the Strip have been making their way back to the territory and hiding, with large arms caches, in the refugee camps. In recent days, Israeli patrols have intercepted and arrested or killed many of the fedayeen, but more seem to have gotten through.
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