Israeli troops have begun the forced evacuation of thousands of Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip after a deadline for them to leave expired midnight on Tuesday. Unarmed Israeli soldiers broke though burning barricades and marched door-to-door ordering people out of their home in five settlements. Scuffles broke out as protesters burned garbage, fought with police officers and threw eggs and water bottles at them. Settlers in some farming communities were seen burning their greenhouses and homes rather than leave them to the Palestinians. Police said one woman was arrested for stabbing and lightly wounding a soldier. Soon after the incident, Sharon beseeched settlers not to attack soldiers saying “Don’t blame them. Don’t make it hard on them. Don’t hurt them, hurt me.” We’ll have more on the Gaza withdrawal in a few minutes.