Hundreds of Israeli activists deliberately crossed into the restricted Gaza border area on Thursday during a coordinated demonstration advocating for renewed Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territory. The protest, organized by the Nachala Settlement Movement, saw approximately 1,500 participants march toward the Gaza perimeter under the banner “We will not surrender to Trump’s dictates: no to an international Gaza, yes to a Jewish Gaza.”
The Israeli military confirmed the breach of the designated closed military zone, stating that security forces promptly returned the group to Israeli territory. Military authorities condemned the action, emphasizing that “approaching the barrier area and entering it is dangerous and disrupts the activity of security forces in the area.”
The demonstration featured symbolic tree planting activities near the border fence, with organizers claiming participants overcame police attempts to prevent their approach. WhatsApp messages circulated beforehand had promoted the gathering as a “historic planting event in Gaza.”
Notably, several government officials from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party attended and endorsed the event. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, Social Equality Minister May Golan, and multiple lawmakers expressed support for the settlement initiative. Likud member Ariel Kallner declared that Israel’s “resurrection will come when the Israeli flag is raised in Gaza, when Jewish settlements bloom in Gaza.”
The protest occurs amid growing calls from right-wing Israeli politicians to permanently occupy Gaza and reverse the 2005 disengagement, which saw the removal of 21 existing settlements. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently called to “correct the sin of expulsion” from Gaza, reflecting increasingly vocal settlement ambitions that directly contradict international law and the Trump administration’s ceasefire proposal envisioning Israeli withdrawal.