Members of Israel’s governing coalition defied IDF instructions on Sunday to join a march organised by pro-settlement activists through what the military had designated a closed zone.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom are considered to be on the far-right of Israeli politics, joined the ‘March of Thousands’, which marked 21 years since the disengagement from Gaza.
The procession, organised by the pro-settlement Nachala organisation, was intended as a show of support for a renewal of Israeli settlement of the Strip.
All settlements in the territory were evacuated, with some forcibly dismantled and cleared by the IDF, following the end of the Second Intifada.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich both attended the march, as did several politicians from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud Party.
A Nachala spokesperson hailed their involvement as a “very significant” improvement on previous support shown for the event by the Israeli right.
"Thank you to the tens of thousands that came as close as possible to our Gaza region with a clear call: we are settling Gaza now,” they added.
Speaking at the rally, Ben-Gvir said: “If they had said three years ago that we would control 70 per cent of the territory of the Gaza Strip no one would have believed it.”
The IDF currently operationally controls around 60 per cent of the Strip but Israel does not exercise governmental authority over it.
"I say from here: There will be Jewish settlement in all of Gaza,” he went on.
"Encourage voluntary immigration [of Palestinians to other countries], send those who need it to their countries. And we return home. Gaza is ours.”
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, of Likud, also expressed direct support for settlement in Gaza, urging Israelis to “plant deep roots in every land granted to our forefathers, including the Gaza region”.
The march went ahead on Sunday evening despite the IDF declaring the area around the Gaza border a “closed military zone” during the 24 hours from 8am on Sunday, making unauthorised entry unlawful.
Organisers estimate around 15,000 attended, while the Israel Police stated that the number was closer to 5,000.
According to the Times of Israel, soldiers at a military checkpoint appeared “visibly agitated” but did not make arrests as the marchers passed by into the restricted area.
The protestors, some wearing stickers reading “Gaza is ours forever”, reportedly passed at least four roadblocks without incident before reaching the border fence, but are not believed to have managed to enter the Strip itself.
To get more Israel news, click here to sign up for our free Israel Briefing newsletter.