Updated

The Israeli military says all its ground troops will have pulled out of the Gaza Strip by the start of the cease-fire agreed to by both sides in the war.

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner says the withdrawal will be completed by 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) Tuesday.

Lerner says the withdrawal is going forward after Israel completed the destruction of 32 cross-border tunnels meant to allow Islamic militants to carry out attacks against Israel.

The cease-fire is meant to end nearly four weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas, which has claimed 1,900 Palestinian lives — most of them civilians. The war has also left 67 Israelis dead, all but three of them soldiers.