JERUSALEM — A far-right Israeli settler movement announced Friday that more than 700 people had taken part in establishing a new outpost near the Gaza border, calling on the government to relocate the community into the Palestinian enclave. The initiative represents the latest effort to revive Israeli settlement activity in Gaza.
The outpost, named “Halutzei Gaza” or “Pioneers of Gaza,” was erected overnight Thursday in the Simhoni Forest in southern Israel, overlooking northern Gaza. Footage shared by the Nachala movement on X depicted activists installing structures and basic infrastructure at the site.
According to the movement, participants included bereaved families, wounded soldiers, rabbis, and public figures. Nachala urged the Israeli government to authorize the settlement’s transfer to a northern buffer zone inside Gaza.
“We demand that the government stand firm against pressures and immediately order the relocation of the settlement to the northern perimeter area,” Nachala said in a post on X. “Gaza is an inseparable part of the Land of Israel, and only taking land and settling it will instill in the enemy a clear sense of defeat.”
The movement also announced plans to host a family event at the new settlement featuring children’s theatre, crafts, and food.
Israeli police said officers were monitoring the site to prevent settlers from crossing the border fence, local media reported.
Led by prominent far-right activist Daniella Weiss, Nachala has campaigned to reestablish Israeli settlements in Gaza and has encouraged Palestinians to leave the territory. Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, the movement has organized conferences and recruited prospective settlers, garnering backing from far-right politicians who support permanent Israeli control over the enclave.
Several members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition voiced support for the initiative. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who appeared with Weiss in a movement-released video, expressed hope that the next Israeli government would expand settlement activity. Religious Zionism lawmaker Ohad Tal called on Netanyahu to authorize relocating the outpost into Gaza, while far-right lawmaker Limor Son Har-Melech praised the move as a response to the October 7 Hamas-led attack.
Nachala has demanded that the next government’s coalition agreement include provisions for establishing Israeli communities in Gaza, repealing the Disengagement Law, and encouraging Palestinian emigration.
Israel withdrew its forces and dismantled all 21 settlements in Gaza in 2005 under a disengagement plan led by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, evacuating roughly 8,000 settlers. The withdrawal remains deeply contested within Israel’s far-right settlement movement, which has intensified calls for a return to Gaza since the war began.
Netanyahu has publicly denied that his government plans to reestablish Israeli settlements in Gaza, despite repeated calls from some coalition members.
The development comes as Gaza grapples with widespread destruction and a severe humanitarian crisis following years of war. Much of the population remains displaced, and reconstruction efforts face significant obstacles.
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