TEL AVIV — The planned Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank in 2005 will have to overcome mass disobedience from within the military, including the General Staff.

Officials said the opposition to the withdrawal stemmed from the rising influence of Orthodox Jews in the military.

Many senior officers are Orthodox Jews and have objected to the military's participation in the withdrawal operation.

So far, about 5,000 people have signed a petition saying they would not participate in any military operation to expel Israelis from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank. Organizers said the number of standing army soldiers, reservists and officers who would disobey orders could increase by ten-fold over the next six months.

The incident began at approximately 4 p.m. when a teenage girl was spotted trying to puncture the tires of an IDF jeep. A soldier inside the car saw her and jumped out to stop her. The girl, an activist of the radical Kahana Chai movement, ran towards a group of settlers and hid behind them.

The soldier approached, demanding that the settlers hand the girl over. As he neared, the soldier raised his weapon, saying he would shoot if the settlers approached, according to an eye witness.

"After the girl ran up to a group of people I was standing with, the soldier advanced towards us, cocked his weapon and pointed it directly at my head. He told us to release the girl. He lifted the gun only a centimeter or two above my head and fired," said Yitzhar resident Ephraim Ben-Shochat in a telephone interview.

The settlers then moved in, grabbing the muzzle of the soldier's M-16 and yanking it downwards, according to Berenstock, who said he investigated the incident. Apparently, at some point in the scuffle the soldier managed to get off a few shots before being wrestled to the ground, according to Berenstock and Ben-Shochat.

Responding to the incident, Itamar Ben Gvir, spokesman of the extreme right-wing Kach movement, said that "the soldier who opened fire today signaled the start of the major campaign against disengagement." Some among his group said on Monday that the violence will lead to "a type of civil war."