Israeli army packs up in Gaza

Massive explosions boomed across the territory from dawn, drowning out the sound of the Muslim call to prayer, as troops dynamited some of the last remaining buildings.

The Mor bridge, built to separate the now-departed settlers and Palestinian traffic in southern Gaza, was dismantled and hauled away by crane.

A series of watchtowers which have come to symbolise the Israeli presence in Gaza were reduced to rubble.

The army also blew up its liaison headquarters with the Palestinian Authority in the northern Gaza Strip, military sources said.

The main Abu Holi checkpoint was closed, cutting the link between northern and southern Gaza, as the wreckers continued their work in the final hours before the start of the Jewish Sabbath.

"Everything should be packed up by the end of the day," a military source told AFP, as the army awaited a Sunday cabinet meeting when ministers should rubber-stamp the departure of the soldiers.

Troops had been due to leave next Thursday but their departure is being brought forward on the recommendation of Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz, with troops becoming targets of stone-throwing Palestin-ian youths.