Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shared a video of himself walking with marchers heading towards Gaza, captioning the post “Gaza is ours.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also urged Israelis not to miss what he called a “historic opportunity” to rebuild settlements in Gaza.
Both extreme right-wing ministers were part of a march on Sunday that pushed towards the Gaza border, with participants demanding the reconstruction of Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territory. The march went ahead despite a military order that had restricted the route at the last minute, after concerns emerged that some participants intended to cross the fence into Gaza.
The rally reflects how calls to occupy Gaza have shifted from the edges of Israeli politics into its mainstream discourse. Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party appeared among the event’s sponsors, even though Netanyahu has repeatedly maintained that Gaza will not be occupied.
Before the march, the Israeli army declared the surrounding area a closed military zone for 24 hours, saying that the move was meant to stop marchers from entering Gaza.
Nachala, the settler organisation behind the event, called it the “March of Thousands” and claimed more than 10,000 people took part, though Israeli media put the number at only a few hundred.
Daniella Weiss, who leads Nachala and has pushed for years for Israel to resettle Gaza, addressed a Likud party conference, saying that Palestinians would “disappear” from the territory.
Some participants avoided checkpoints by moving through nearby hillsides to reach the Gaza border. Footage verified by an international media outlet’s verification unit showed dozens of Israelis gathered at the border fence.
More than two dozen ministers and legislators joined the march, Israeli media reported, including Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.
