Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Friday termed an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip as a " very important event" due to the longtime struggle of the Palestinians, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"It is interesting to know that this withdrawal was not a choice. This was a defeat sustained by the Zionist regime. It was done out of desperation," Khamenei was quoted as saying at a prayers sermon.

"It was due to the resistance of the Palestinians," he stressed.

A 60,000-strong evacuation force is deployed to remove all the 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four in northern West Bank in a month period. The mission is expected to be completed ahead of schedule.

Source: Xinhua