Israeli Officials Push for Gaza Resettlement Ahead of Elections

WHO:

CNN - National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are key far-right members of Netanyahu’s government.

Al Jazeera - Daniella Weiss leads the Nachala settler group advocating for the resettlement of Gaza.

Al Jazeera - More than two dozen Israeli ministers and legislators participated in the march.

WHAT:

CNN - Thousands of Israeli settlers and activists marched to the Gaza perimeter demanding the reestablishment of three settlements: Nisanit, Dugit, and Elei Sinai.

Al Jazeera - The Nachala group claimed more than 10,000 attended the march, while Israeli media estimated the crowd at only a few hundred.

CNN - Israeli forces currently hold approximately 60% of Gaza’s territory, with Netanyahu stating he ordered the military to take 70% or more.

CNN - The Israeli government approved plans to allocate more than 2.3 billion shekels (approximately $766 million) for new Jewish settlements and access roads in the occupied West Bank.

WHERE:

CNN - The march occurred near the Gaza perimeter.

CNN - The settlements targeted for reestablishment are located in northern Gaza.

WHEN:

CNN - The elections in Israel are scheduled for October 27, 2026.

CNN - The Gaza war has been framed by Smotrich and Ben Gvir as an opportunity to reverse the 2005 disengagement since October 7, 2023.

WHY:

CNN - The push to rebuild settlements in Gaza is part of a broader effort to pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu to reverse the 2005 disengagement.

CNN - Ben Gvir stated, “If someone had said three years ago that we would control 70% of the Gaza Strip, no one would have believed it,” emphasizing the far-right's agenda for Jewish settlement throughout Gaza.

Al Jazeera - Smotrich warned that a change of government could “roll back all the Zionist and national settlement revolution” achieved in the past four years.

HOW:

CNN - The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declared the area a closed military zone to prevent the demonstration from entering Gaza.

Al Jazeera - Some marchers bypassed checkpoints through nearby hillsides to reach the Gaza border.

(UPDATED July 20, 2026 14:42 UTC)

Thousands of Israeli settlers and activists marched near the Gaza perimeter, demanding the reestablishment of three settlements: Nisanit, Dugit, and Elei Sinai, with the Nachala group claiming over 10,000 participants, while Israeli media estimated the crowd at only a few hundred. Key figures in Netanyahu's government, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are pushing for this movement as part of a broader agenda to reverse the 2005 disengagement from Gaza, with Ben Gvir emphasizing their control over 70% of the territory. The Israel Defense Forces declared the area a closed military zone to prevent the demonstration from entering Gaza, although some marchers managed to bypass checkpoints to reach the border.