JERUSALEM (AA)

Israeli Settlement Minister Orit Strock on Monday called for the rebuilding of settlements in the Gaza Strip, claiming that the strip is 'part of the Land of Israel.'

The Israel Broadcasting Authority quoted Strock as saying: 'Jews must live in the Gaza Strip. The demand to rebuild Jewish settlements is a correct demand.'

She claimed that 'Gaza is part of the Land of Israel, not only according to the Torah and Halakha (Jewish law), but also according to international law.'

However, international law considers the Gaza Strip part of the occupied Palestinian territory and states that the establishment of settlements in occupied territories has no legal validity and constitutes a violation of international laws and resolutions.

Strock's remarks came a day after Israeli government ministers participated in a march with thousands of settlers, which set off through a closed military zone toward the Gaza border in a show of support for Jewish settlement in the strip.

Meanwhile, the Israeli news site Times of Israel said the march attracted 'thousands' and marked 'the 21st anniversary of Israel's evacuation of the Gush Katif settlement within the Gaza Strip.'

In August 2005, Israel evacuated four settlements in the northern West Bank in addition to 'Gush Katif' in southern Gaza as part of the unilateral Israeli disengagement plan, adopted during the tenure of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The site noted that extremist ministers and politicians took part in the march, such as 'National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, as well as politicians from the Likud party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.'

According to the organizers of the march from the settlement group 'Nahala,' the event was attended by 28 ministers and members of parliament from the ruling coalition, according to the site.

It added: 'The group's spokeswoman described the support the march received from more moderate elements in the Israeli right as very significant, compared to previous attempts at marches to the strip.'

The Israeli army had declared the area around Gaza a closed military zone before the march began, from 8 a.m. Sunday until the same time Monday.

The site said: 'The protesters apparently did not succeed in crossing the border into Gaza.'

On Sunday evening, extremist minister Ben Gvir posted a video on his account on the American platform 'X', accompanied by a post in which he claimed that 'Gaza is ours.'

Ben Gvir added: 'If someone had said three years ago that we would control 70% of the Gaza Strip, no one would have believed it, so I say today that there will be Jewish settlements in all of Gaza and we will encourage immigration.'

These moves come amid escalating calls by far-right Israeli leaders to resettle the Gaza Strip, as Minister Smotrich said on July 29, 2025, that Tel Aviv is 'closer than ever to reoccupying the Gaza Strip and settling it.'

Despite the ceasefire agreement announced since October 2025 under the plan, Israel continues to commit genocide by killing and wounding Palestinians daily, in addition to restricting the entry of humanitarian aid, and expanding its control over the strip from 53% of its total area under the agreement to 70%.

Overall, since the start of the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 173,000 others wounded, in addition to widespread destruction affecting 90% of civilian infrastructure.