ISTANBUL / Khaled Youssef / Anadolu

Settlers, ministers, and members of the Israeli Knesset plan to hold a march toward the border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening to demand the re-establishment of settlements inside the strip.

The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the march, organized by the 'Nahala' settlement movement, will set off on Sunday evening from the Yad Mordechai junction to Kerem Shalom in the western Negev region.

The march is held under the slogans 'Seal the borders – settle in Gaza now' and 'Returning home after 21 years.'

The newspaper added that the participants will head toward the border with the Gaza Strip as part of a campaign led by the movement to demand the return of settlements in the territory from which Israel withdrew in 2005.

Prominent ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu's government are scheduled to participate in the march, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Social Equality Minister May Golan, along with Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, and a number of Knesset members.

The newspaper quoted Daniella Weiss, head of the 'Nahala' movement, as saying that the event marks the beginning of a series of activities aimed at pushing for the return of settlements in the Gaza Strip.

In a related context, the Israeli army announced the imposition of a closed military zone in parts of the western Negev region adjacent to the Strip, from Sunday morning until Monday morning, as a precautionary step ahead of the march.

The army said in a statement that the decision includes areas near the border with Gaza, with residents and workers in the area exempted from entry restrictions, stressing continued readiness and military deployment around the Strip.

These moves come amid escalating calls by far-right Israeli leaders to resettle the Gaza Strip, nearly two decades after Israel withdrew from its settlements in 2005 under the 'Disengagement Plan.'

Settlement in Gaza contradicts the plan of US President Donald Trump to end the Israeli genocidal war on the Strip, which has been ongoing since October 2023.

Despite the ceasefire agreement announced in October 2025 as part of the plan, Israel continues its genocide by killing and wounding Palestinians daily, as well as restricting the entry of humanitarian aid.

Overall, since the beginning of the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed, and over 173,000 others have been injured, in addition to widespread destruction that has affected 90 percent of civilian infrastructure.