Senior Israeli government officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, joined a march organized by settler group Nachala on Sunday to advocate for rebuilding Jewish settlements in Gaza. The event, which organizers called the “March of Thousands,” drew what Israeli media estimated to be several hundred participants, though organizers claimed attendance exceeded 10,000. Participants marched under the banner “returning home after 21 years,” referring to three settlements—Elei Sinai, Dugit, and Nisanit—that were evacuated when Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.
The Israeli military had designated the surrounding area a closed military zone and imposed route restrictions over concerns that some marchers intended to cross the boundary fence into Gaza. Despite these measures, some participants bypassed checkpoints through nearby hillsides to reach the Gaza border. Video footage verified by Al Jazeera showed dozens of Israelis gathered at the border fence. Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself among the marchers with the caption “Gaza is ours,” while Smotrich called on Israelis not to miss what he characterized as a “historic opportunity” to rebuild settlements in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party was listed among the rally’s sponsors, though Netanyahu has previously stated that Gaza will not be resettled. The march represents an escalation in mainstream political discourse around Gaza resettlement, which Nachala leader Daniella Weiss has long championed. Both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have been sanctioned by several European countries. Earlier in December, Nachala activists briefly crossed into Gaza and planted an Israeli flag before soldiers returned them across the fence.