Hundreds join Gaza resettlement initiative as Israeli minister backs return to the Strip.By World Israel News StaffHundreds of Israeli settlement activists gathered near the Gaza border on Friday to establish a new community intended to serve as the foundation for renewed Jewish settlement inside the Gaza Strip, drawing support from a senior government minister and several Knesset members.The Nachala settlement movement announced the establishment of “Halutzei Gaza,” or “Pioneers of Gaza,” following an overnight operation in the Simhoni Forest, near the communities of Nahal Oz and Kfar Aza, overlooking northern Gaza.Organizers said more than 700 people participated, including families with children, bereaved relatives of fallen soldiers, wounded IDF veterans, rabbis and public figures.The activists erected temporary buildings, installed basic infrastructure and raised Israeli flags, with some displaying banners declaring that Gaza belongs to Israel forever.The encampment was established on the Israeli side of the border, but organizers emphasized that its location was temporary and demanded government authorization to move the community into northern Gaza.“Only taking territory and establishing settlements will instill in the enemy a clear sense of defeat,” Nachala declared.The movement called on the government to authorize settlement in the northern Gaza buffer zone and demanded that the next governing coalition commit to establishing Jewish communities throughout the Strip, repealing the 2005 Disengagement Law and encouraging Palestinian emigration.Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party attended the initiative and voiced support for the settlers.“You are the heroic pioneers of our generation,” Karhi told participants.He said he hoped the next government would be a strong right-wing coalition committed to achieving victory and establishing a permanent Jewish presence throughout the Land of Israel, including Gaza.Nachala chairwoman Daniella Weiss argued that continued military control of the Strip was insufficient to guarantee Israel’s long-term security.“Security control is not enough,” Weiss declared in a video released during the establishment of the encampment.MK Ohad Tal of the Religious Zionism party also endorsed the initiative, urging Netanyahu to authorize the community’s relocation into the northern section of Gaza.Tal called on the prime minister to make the “correct and Zionist move,” arguing that the northern perimeter of the Strip must remain under Israeli control.Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech similarly welcomed the initiative, describing renewed Jewish settlement as an answer to terrorism.“Not fleeing, but settling; not withdrawal, but returning home,” she wrote.Several bereaved families and wounded Israelis participated in the event, linking their support for renewed settlement to the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre and the subsequent war.Bereaved father Itzik Fitoussi called for an Israeli victory, declaring, “This is how we win — by settling.”Amichai Schindler, who was critically wounded during the October 7 attacks, said the appropriate response to the violence was to build new communities.Israeli security forces, meanwhile, acted to prevent the activists from approaching or crossing the Gaza border fence.Police dispersed participants at the site, while the IDF blocked access roads near Nahal Oz and Kfar Aza and declared the area between the Israeli communities and the border fence a closed military zone.Military officials reportedly expressed concern that activists might attempt to bypass roadblocks and enter Gaza without authorization.The movement also advertised a family event at the encampment featuring children’s activities, including inflatable attractions, cotton candy and theater performances.The initiative is part of a campaign launched by Nachala following the October 7 massacre to reverse Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, when the government evacuated approximately 9,000 Jewish residents and dismantled 21 Israeli communities in the Strip.In July, thousands of activists participated in another Nachala-organized march toward the Gaza border, accompanied by government ministers and lawmakers calling for the return of Jewish settlement.Despite support for renewed settlement from several coalition members, Netanyahu has publicly denied that his government intends to reestablish Israeli civilian communities inside Gaza.The post Activists set up outpost community next to Gaza, call for resettlement of the Strip appeared first on World Israel News.