Israeli Ministers Join March Demanding Gaza Resettlement Despite Military Restrictions

The rally is the latest sign of how demands to resettle Gaza have moved from the political fringe into Israel's mainstream political discourse. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party was among the rally's sponsors, despite his insistence that Gaza will not be resettled. Earlier, the Israeli military declared the surrounding area a closed military zone for 24 hours, saying it aimed to prevent marchers from entering Gaza.

The settler group Nachala, which organized the event, called it a "march of thousands" and said more than 10,000 people took part, although Israeli media reports estimated the crowd at only a few hundred. Nachala is led by Daniella Weiss, a longtime advocate of Israel resettling Gaza. Addressing a Likud party conference, she said Palestinians would "disappear" from the territory. Some marchers bypassed checkpoints through nearby hills to reach the Gaza border.