The Israeli army began on Monday to replace lookout posts surrounding several Jewish settlements in the southern Gaza Strip with armored vehicles and tanks, a Palestinian Interior Ministry spokesman said.

Twafeeq Abu Khousa said in an official statement sent to reporters that the armored vehicles and tanks will guard the settlements before they are evacuated and handed over to the Palestinian side starting on Aug. 17.

Removing posts is part of the Israeli measures implemented to carry out the plan of withdrawal from Gaza settlements, said Abu Khousa.

He added that a big lookout post located in the east of the settlement of Naveh Dekalim, west of the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, was removed.

Source: Xinhua