In a landmark vote, the Israeli cabinet on Sunday unanimously approved the withdrawal of its troops from the Gaza Strip, ending 38 years of occupation of the area.
In yet another decision with far-reaching consequences, the cabinet also gave a nod to the pullout of troops from the Philadelphi route, along the Gaza-Egypt border, where Egyptian and Palestinian forces began their deployment on Saturday.
Palestinians have argued that an Israeli presence on the route would keep them choked, blocking their only way to interact with the outer world.
The Israel Defence Forces will begin to leave the Gaza Strip on Sunday night and all the troops are expected to be out of the area by Monday morning.
The last potential stumbling block, a wrangle over the fate of around 20 synagogues in Gaza, was brushed aside when ministers voted by majority to leave the structures still standing and their fate up to the Palestinians.
A vote to demolish the structures could have delayed the pullout by another 24 hours, postponing a scheduled handover ceremony to Palestinian security forces at the Erez crossing.
Senior ministers in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's cabinet had earlier resisted the move to dismantle the synagogues even though the supreme court has given a go ahead to it.
The Palestinian Authority had refused to give any gurantees on protecting the religious structures following withdrawal.
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