Israeli settler group sets up outpost near Gaza border and urges move into enclave

JERUSALEM — The Israeli settler movement Nachala said on Friday that more than 700 people helped set up a new outpost near the Gaza border, and it called on the government to move it into the Palestinian enclave, according to Arab News.

The group named the outpost "Halutzei Gaza", or "Pioneers of Gaza". It said the site was built overnight on Thursday in the Simhoni Forest in southern Israel, overlooking northern Gaza.

A video posted by Nachala on X showed activists putting up structures and basic infrastructure, according to Arab News. The movement said those taking part included bereaved families, wounded soldiers, rabbis and public figures.

Conflicting accounts

Reports of what happened next differ. The New Arab reported that Nachala tried to establish an outpost in Gaza and was dispersed by Israeli forces on Friday evening. Arab News placed the site on the Israeli side of the border and said police were monitoring it to stop settlers crossing the fence, citing local media reports. The sources do not say whether the site was cleared. Zenga News could not independently confirm either account.

Demands and political support

Nachala urged the government to order the relocation of the outpost to a northern perimeter area inside Gaza. "We demand that the government stand firm against the pressures and immediately order the relocation of the settlement to the northern perimeter area," the movement said on X.

It also said: "Gaza is an inseparable part of the Land of Israel." The movement added that organising an event for families at the site, with children's theatre, crafts and food.

Several members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition backed the initiative, according to Arab News. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi appeared in a Nachala video with Daniella Weiss, the movement's leader, and said he hoped the next Israeli government would expand settlement activity.

Religious Zionism lawmaker Ohad Tal urged Netanyahu to approve moving the outpost into Gaza. Lawmaker Limor Son Har-Melech praised the move as a response to the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Netanyahu has publicly denied that his government plans to re-establish settlements in Gaza, Arab News reported, despite repeated calls from some coalition members.

Background

Nachala has campaigned for the return of Israeli settlements to Gaza and has encouraged Palestinians to leave the territory. Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, it has held conferences and mobilised prospective settlers, with support from far-right politicians who favour permanent Israeli control of the enclave.

The movement wants the next government's coalition agreement to include provisions for building Israeli communities in Gaza, repealing the Disengagement Law and encouraging Palestinian emigration.

Israel withdrew its troops from Gaza and dismantled all 21 settlements there in 2005, under a plan introduced by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. About 8,000 settlers were evacuated. The withdrawal remains contested within the far-right settlement movement, which has stepped up calls for a return since the war began.

Arab News said the initiative comes as Gaza faces widespread destruction and a severe humanitarian crisis, with much of its population displaced and reconstruction facing major obstacles.