Benjamin Netanyahu and several cabinet members joined the Nachala group for a march to advocate for rebuilding Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.
Benjamin Netanyahu and several members of his governing coalition joined the Nachala settler group for a demonstration on Sunday to advocate for the reconstruction of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. The event, titled the "March of the Thousands," saw participants demand the rebuilding of Elei Sinai, Dugit, and Nisanit, three communities evacuated in 2005. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir were prominent attendees, with Smotrich urging the leadership to seize the "historic opportunity" to rebuild. Although the Likud party sponsored the rally, Netanyahu maintains that Gaza will not be fully resettled. To manage the crowd, the Israel Defense Forces designated the area between the Yad Mordechai, Shaar HaNegev, and Kerem Shalom junctions as a closed military zone for 24 hours. This measure was intended to prevent marchers from crossing the fence into the territory, a move prohibited under Israeli law. While organizers estimated over 10,000 participants, local media reports suggested a crowd of several hundred.