Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip — end of Israeli occupation and colonization of Gaza Strip in 2005
Israel's 2005 unilateral withdrawal dismantled all 21 Gaza settlements and removed over 8,000 settlers, reshaping the territorial and political status of the Gaza Strip.
Key Facts
- Settlements dismantled in Gaza
- 21
- Israeli settlers removed
- 8,000+
- Eviction deadline
- August 15, 2005
- Residential buildings demolished by
- September 12, 2005
- West Bank settlements also dismantled
- 4
- Knesset approval law
- Disengagement Plan Implementation Law, June 2004
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon proposed disengagement in 2003, citing the unsustainable cost of fighting Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups, demographic pressures from a higher Palestinian birth rate, and a strategic desire to consolidate Israeli presence in areas expected to remain part of Israel in future agreements.
Beginning August 15, 2005, the IDF evicted Israeli settlers who refused voluntary compensation packages, demolished all residential structures in Gaza's 21 settlements, and completed the removal of over 8,000 settlers by September 12. Four West Bank settlements were dismantled ten days later. The process was conducted unilaterally, without coordination with the Palestinian National Authority.
While the withdrawal was received positively by many Palestinians, the United Nations and most international legal bodies continued to regard Gaza as occupied territory due to Israel's ongoing control over its external affairs, a position affirmed by a 2024 International Court of Justice advisory opinion. Benjamin Netanyahu resigned from Sharon's cabinet in protest, reflecting significant domestic political fractures.