Israeli Officials Lead March Demanding Gaza Settlements

Thousands of Israelis, including senior government ministers, participated in a march near the Gaza border on Sunday, calling for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territory. The demonstration was organized by the Nachala settler movement under the slogan "Returning home after 21 years," referencing Israel's 2005 withdrawal from Gaza. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir were among the 28 ministers and lawmakers reported to have joined the march. Ben Gvir told the crowd that there would be "Jewish settlements in all of Gaza" and called for the "voluntary immigration" of Palestinians. Smotrich compared the effort to recent settlement expansions in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli army had declared the area a closed military zone ahead of the event, but hundreds of participants bypassed roadblocks to reach points near the border fence. No one entered Gaza. Some demonstrators carried signs saying "Gaza is ours forever." Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in 2023, Israeli politicians and settler groups have increasingly pushed for resettlement. Israel had 21 settlements in Gaza before pulling out in 2005. All settlements in occupied Palestinian territories are considered illegal under international law. Nachala says over 1,000 families are ready to move into Gaza.