Thousands of Israelis gathered near the Gaza border Sunday evening for a rally calling for the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, nearly 21 years after Israel dismantled all of its communities there as part of its 2005 withdrawal.
The event, organized by the right-wing settlement movement Nachala, was held near Zikim Beach after security authorities barred organizers from marching closer to the border by declaring parts of the western Negev a closed military zone.
The rally concluded with participants overlooking the site of the former Israeli settlement of Elei Sinai and northern Gaza while calling for the immediate rebuilding of the former communities of Elei Sinai, Dugit and Nisanit.
Held under the slogans "Putting our stamp on the border" and "Returning home after 21 years," the demonstration drew senior members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition, underscoring growing support among parts of Israel's political right for reestablishing settlements in Gaza after the war with Hamas.
Among those attending were Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich—who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Economy Minister Nir Barkat, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, Social Equality Minister May Golan, Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and Deputy Minister Almog Cohen.
Nachala also said more than a dozen coalition lawmakers planned to participate, including Likud lawmakers Avichay Buaron, Eli Dalal, Amit Halevi, Tsega Melaku, Moshe Saada, Ariel Kallner, Afef Abed and Moshe Passal, Religious Zionist Party lawmakers Ohad Tal, Tzvi Succot, Moshe Solomon, Michal Waldiger and Simcha Rothman and Otzma Yehudit lawmaker Limor Son Har-Melech.
Military Police checkpoints near the Gaza border
The former northern Gaza settlement bloc included the communities of Elei Sinai, Dugit and Nisanit, as well as the Erez industrial zone. All were evacuated during Israel's unilateral disengagement from Gaza in 2005.
In recent months, Smotrich has emerged as one of the strongest advocates for rebuilding Israeli communities in Gaza.
"We are ready to establish three communities in northern Gaza immediately, as soon as the prime minister gives the green light," Smotrich said in June.
Buaron, who attended the rally, said the event was intended to send a political message in favor of resettling northern Gaza.
"We need to resettle the northern part of the Gaza Strip," he told ynet before the event. "What led to Oct. 7 was the fact that we were not there."
Settlers raise the Israeli flag in the Gaza Strip
(Photo: Nachala)
Although organizers initially promoted the event as a "March of Thousands to Gaza," Buaron denied there were plans to enter the territory itself.
"No one intends to break the law, and to remove any doubt, no one is talking about entering the Gaza Strip," he said, adding that the event had been coordinated with the military, police and other authorities.
The IDF imposed a 24-hour closed military zone across parts of the western Negev following a security assessment, citing previous incidents in which Israeli civilians crossed into Gaza. In December 2025, dozens of right-wing activists drove several hundred meters into the territory and raised Israeli flags.
Police approved the gathering at Zikim Beach and established checkpoints, including near Kibbutz Nir Am, to prevent civilians from approaching the border through nearby access roads.
Despite the restrictions, Nachala leader Daniella Weiss said the military's decision had only increased public interest in the event.
"The army's announcement is doing us a great favor and reflects the public's desire to come," she told ynet before the rally.