Israel will hand over control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian National Authority (PAN) in early October, chief Palestinian negotiator Saed Erekat told the Cairo- based Voice of the Arabs on Tuesday.

The ongoing Israeli withdrawal from all the 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four smaller ones in the West Bank will be a step forward toward achieving a just peace in the region, Erekat said.

Palestinian and Israeli officials were currently in contact to avoid turning the strip into a large prison for the Palestinians, he said.

On Tuesday morning, Israeli forces entered Sanur and Homesh in northern West Bank to evacuate the last two Jewish settlments under the government disengagement plan.

The evacuation started in northern West Bank after the troops completed the historic pullout of Jews from all the 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip on Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon expects to evacuate all the 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four smaller ones in northern West Bank in a month period. But the mission might be completed ahead of schedule.

The Palestinian side welcomes the Israeli move, while urging the Jewish state to quit all the occupied Palestinian lands.

Source: Xinhua