ISRAELI CABINET MEMBERS MARCH TO GAZA BORDER CALLING FOR SETTLEMENTS

Israeli cabinet members, parliamentarians and settlers marched towards the Gaza border on Sunday calling for the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory. The march, organised by Nachala, a settler group led by Daniella Weiss, took place despite a military order that restricted the route over concerns some participants would cross into Gaza. The Israeli army had designated the surrounding area a closed military zone for 24 hours. Nachala claimed more than 10,000 attended the event, billed as the "March of Thousands", although Israeli media reports estimated the crowd at only a few hundred.

Among those participating were Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who oversees settlement affairs, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, along with more than two dozen other ministers and legislators. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party was listed as a rally sponsor, despite Netanyahu's stated position that Gaza will not be resettled. Some marchers bypassed checkpoints through nearby hillsides to reach the Gaza border fence. Video verified by Al Jazeera showed dozens of Israelis gathered at the border, whilst security forces deployed to prevent participants from advancing further.

The march represents a shift in Israeli political discourse on Gaza settlement, with calls to resettle the territory moving from the political margins into mainstream debate. Demonstrators carried banners reading "returning home after 21 years", referring to Israel's 2005 disengagement from Gaza when settlements including Elei Sinai, Dugit and Nisanit were evacuated. Participant Daniel Sellem stated the march aimed to pressure the government to authorise a return to the territory more than two decades after the withdrawal.