Mideast Israel began its operation to pull out of the Gaza Strip after 38 years of occupation, meeting anger and defiance from settlers being uprooted from their homes. Greece Most of the 121 people on board a Cypriot airliner that slammed into a wooded hillside near Athens were probably already dead before the impact, authorities said, as they grappled with the mystery of what caused the crash. Indonesia The Indonesian government and Muslim Aceh rebels signed an historic peace accord aimed at ending decades of bloodshed in a region devastated by last year's tsunami. Iran Iran named an outspoken hardliner to run its nuclear policy in a move likely to intensify international concerns following the Islamic regime's rejection of European incentives for abandoning ultra-sensitive fuel cycle work.