600 Protestors Enter Gaza

The struggle between the army and opponents of disengagement changed direction Thursday, following the end of the mass protest at Kfar Maimon, with the redeployment of the Israel Defense Forces and police units and the refocusing of their efforts on blockading the Gaza Strip itself.

However, military sources said Thursday that security forces were unable to hermetically seal off the Strip. The IDF believes that approximately 600 non-residents have entered the area to join anti-pullout forces since the the closure was imposed on July 13, and that a few dozen more activists managed to slip in Thursday. The army rejected a claim by the Yesha council of settlements that as many as 1,000 people slipped into the Strip on the night between Wednesday and Thursday.

IDF admits unable to seal off Gaza hermetically.