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March Demands Resettlement
Far-right Israeli ministers and lawmakers marched toward Gaza on Sunday to demand the rebuilding of Jewish settlements in the besieged Palestinian enclave, defying an Israeli military order that restricted their route over concerns that some protesters planned to cross the fence into Palestinian territory.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir were among the participants, and the protest was organized by the settler group Nachala and dubbed the March of Thousands.
The marchers demanded the reconstruction of Elei Sinai, Dugit and Nisanit, three settlements evacuated when Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, and Nachala leader Daniella Weiss said Palestinians would “disappear” from the territory.
An Israeli army designation of the surrounding area as a closed military zone for 24 hours was intended to prevent marchers from crossing into Gaza, while Israeli media reports estimated the crowd at only a few hundred despite the “March of Thousands” label.
Officials’ Claims and Quotes
Israeli Settlement Minister Orit Strock called for rebuilding settlements in the Gaza Strip, claiming the enclave is “part of the Land of Israel,” and she said, “Jews should live in the Gaza Strip.”
Strock framed her position by asserting that “Gaza is part of Israel not only according to the Torah and Halakha, but also according to international law,” while the Anadolu Ajansı report also states that international law considers Gaza part of occupied Palestinian territory and says Israeli settlements have no legal validity.
At the same time, Nachala leader Daniella Weiss told the crowd, “There will be no more Arabs in Gaza,” and Ben-Gvir told supporters, “There will be Jewish settlements in all of Gaza.”
The Anadolu Ajansı report says Ben-Gvir posted a video on his X account under the title “Our Gaza,” and in that video he said, “there will be Jewish settlements across all of Gaza, and we will encourage migration.”
What’s at Stake Next
The push for settlement restoration is being framed by Israeli right-wing figures as a way to reshape the future of Gaza ahead of an October election, with the Middle East Eye report describing intensified calls to rebuild settlements since the genocide in Gaza began in 2023.
“Israeli minister calls for settlement building in Gaza, claims enclave ‘part of Israel’ International law considers Gaza part of occupied Palestinian territory and says Israeli settlements in occupied land have no legal validity and violate international law and UN resolutions Lina Altawell 20 July 2026•Update: 20 July 2026 İSTANBUL Israeli Settlement Minister Orit Strock called on Monday for rebuilding settlements in the Gaza Strip, claiming the enclave is “part of the Land of Israel”
The Anadolu Ajansı report says Israel has killed more than 73,000 people and injured over 173,000 others in a brutal offensive since October 2023, and it places the march and settlement-building demands within that broader context of the siege continuing unabated.
In the reporting, the IDF’s closed military zone and the route restrictions are presented as the immediate constraint on the demonstrations, with the Morning Star report saying the Israeli army designated the surrounding area a closed military zone for 24 hours to prevent marchers from crossing into Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Roya News report says efforts were underway to establish settlement facilities inside Gaza before the next elections to create a new reality on the ground, and it quotes Amichai Chikli saying the political borders of Gaza would not be determined through agreements with Hamas but according to what he called “Zionist borders.”
