Kfar Darom, Gaza Strip ? Israel’s plan to shut down all its Gaza Strip settlements appeared headed for a swift conclusion after military forces cleared out the most violent strongholds of resistance Thursday and began preparing for the next phase of the complex operation: demolishing now-abandoned homes.

Two days into the forced removal of thousands of settlers and their supporters, Israel announced that most of the 8,500 settlers were gone and voiced optimism that the massive military operation – once expected to last weeks – might wrap up this weekend.

Israeli forces have all but cleared 15 of the 21 Gaza settlements, including the de facto capital of Neve Dekalim and Kfar Darom, where they faced fierce clashes with hundreds of activists who made a last stand in the fortified synagogue.

By day’s end, Israeli officials announced plans to move into the final phase: demolishing thousands of homes and dismantling military outposts in preparation for turning over the land to the Palestinians.

The process could take a month or more. But after that, the Gaza Strip land that Israel has occupied since the 1967 Six Day War will be officially transferred to the Palestinian Authority, which is still deciding what to do with it.

On the second day of what was planned as a three-week operation, Israel faced its fiercest resistance from the outsiders. Activists at Shirat Hayam, a smaller outpost right on the Mediterranean beach, doused a barricade at the entrance in gasoline and set it ablaze to thwart oncoming soldiers. Others sat atop houses with guitars, singing patriotic songs and pleading unsuccessfully with the forces not to move in.

Eventually, the soldiers overwhelmed the demonstrators and won control of the synagogue, but not before dozens of soldiers and demonstrators were injured.