Triumphant Palestinians poured into abandoned Jewish settlements Monday, setting empty synagogues on fire and shooting in the air, while Israeli troops left in convoys in the final phase of Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip after 38 years of occupation. Palestinian police stood by helplessly as gunmen raised flags of militant groups in the settlements and crowds smashed what was left in the ruins or walked off with doors, window frames, toilets and scrap metal. Initial plans by Palestinian police to bar the crowds from the settlements for the first few hours quickly collapsed, illustrating the weakness of the Palestinian security forces and concerns about growing chaos after Israel's departure. Women ululated, teens set off fireworks and crowds chanted "God is great.""Today is a day of joy and happiness that our people were deprived of in the past century," said Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, adding that the Palestinians still have a long path toward statehood. He denounced Israeli rule in Gaza as "aggression, injustice, humiliation, killing and settlement activity." Just before daybreak, Abbas was heading to what was once the largest Jewish settlement, Neve Dekalim, his aides said. Israel had demolished nearly all buildings in its 21 Gaza settlements, but decided at the last minute to leave 19 synagogue buildings intact, a decision criticized by the Palestinians and the United States.
Palestinians carried off what was left in the debris of the settlements, including chairs, tables and shopping carts. Young men tore down electricity poles, grabbing the wires. In the Netzarim settlement, a group of men took turns hitting a column in a building with a hammer. Two empty synagogues and a Jewish seminary were set on fire. Palestinian police appeared overwhelmed, watching the destruction from the sidelines. Police Col. Abdel Khader Abu Tayr said police didn't have enough time to deploy because Israeli troops left without sufficient warning. "Now we are expending every effort to kick the people out and protect the buildings," Abu Tayr said.