Bezalel Smotrich Calls for Three Jewish Settlements in Northern Gaza

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the immediate establishment of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip’s northern perimeter, claiming nearly 70% of the strip is already occupied by the Israeli military.

In a video from Sderot posted on his X account, Smotrich said, "we are ready to establish three settlements immediately once we receive the green light from the prime minister," and he added that Israel must complete "the conquest of the remaining territory [in Gaza], defeat Hamas, and establish a belt of Jewish settlements."

Agence Media Palestine

The Times of Israel reported that Smotrich said the Defense Ministry Settlement Administration, which he administers, “has completed the groundwork to establish three settlements in the north Gaza area,” and that all that is needed is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval.

Smotrich’s remarks came after he met with Alon Davidi, mayor of Sderot, during a tour of Gaza-border communities to review rehabilitation projects for areas devastated by the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

During the same tour, Smotrich said the Israel Defense Forces should seize more than the 70 percent of Gaza’s land that it currently controls and claimed, “Where there is no settlement, there is no security.”

Smotrich’s push for settlements and a security belt in Gaza drew backlash from people tied to the October 7, 2023 attack, including a father who heckled him during a speech at Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha.

The Times of Israel reported that Eyal Eshel, father of slain surveillance soldier Roni Eshel, interrupted Smotrich and shouted, “Get off the stage — you aren’t fit to be here,” and he accused Smotrich of causing the deaths of hostages seized on October 7.

Al Jazeera

In the same account, Smotrich responded to Eshel by declaring that he had come “to say thank you also to those who are rightfully angry at me. People who went through the worst, and on my watch, and my responsibility. I understand your anger. I am here in order to make sure that Israel succeeds.”

Franceinfo described protests at the Gaza border where a man with a megaphone said, 'The people are calling for a ceasefire,' and it quoted a protester saying, 'I think Netanyahu took measures he would not have taken without the pressure from Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.'

Franceinfo also framed Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir as ministers pushing for months for a conquest of Gaza, quoting Ben-Gvir in May: “We must finish the job, invade the Gaza Strip with force, occupation, colonization, and not let humanitarian aid in.”

Netanyahu’s promised shift toward taking control of Gaza’s entire territory was described by Courrier international as the war entering a new phase after more than eighteen months of offensive operations launched in retaliation for the October 7, 2023 attacks.

In a video released on May 19, Courrier international said Netanyahu announced that Israel would take 'control of the entire territory of the Gaza Strip,' and it described an intensified campaign including the May 18 launch of Operation Gideon's Chariots aimed at 'defeating' Hamas and freeing the hostages.

Courrier international also said Netanyahu assured that he would prevent famine from taking root in the enclave for 'practical' and 'diplomatic' reasons, citing 'a humanitarian collapse ... could jeopardize international support for the war effort,' and it linked this to a decision by the Israeli security cabinet to authorize 'the entry of a basic amount of food' into the enclave.

Meanwhile, multiple outlets tied Smotrich’s statements to plans for Gaza governance and settlement, with شبكة تواصل الإخبارية saying Smotrich renewed his call to impose full military and political control over the Gaza Strip and to establish an executive administration under the army to manage local affairs.

شبكة تواصل الإخبارية also warned that such plans would threaten to deepen the political and humanitarian crisis, stating that re-occupying Gaza or building settlements there violates international law and undermines prospects for stability in the Middle East.