Proposed Israeli resettlement of the Gaza Strip

[1][2] In the context of the Israel–Hamas war, some Israelis have proposed expulsion of or creating conditions leading to the exodus of Palestinians from the area and a new wave of resettlement of the Gaza Strip.

[a][b][c][d][e] The United Nations, international human rights organizations and many legal scholars regard the Gaza Strip to still be under military occupation by Israel, while Israeli disputes this.

[21] The event featured addresses not only from far-right politicians such as Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech but also from two from Netanyahu's conservative Likud party, Ariel Kallner and Tally Gotliv.

Dagan was a prominent settler activist who had to withdraw from a settlement in a small area of the West Bank that was de-settled in 2005 around the same time as Gaza.

[citation needed] In December 2023, hundreds of settlement activists gathered in central Israel for another conference titled "Practical Preparation for Returning to Gaza.

"[15] On January 28, 2024, a conference known as "Settlement Brings Security" (Hebrew: התיישבות מביאה ביטחון, romanized: Hitiashvút Mevi’á Bitakhón) was held in Jerusalem, sponsored by the right-wing Nachala Israeli settler organization.

[24] The director of Nachala, Daniella Weiss, referenced the 7 October attacks and the ongoing war for the need of the conference and resettlement, stating to reporters: "It's the end of the presence of Arabs in Gaza.

"[2] In response to Israel's far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stating that the Palestinians living in Gaza should "go away from here", some attendees shouted "Only eviction!

[29][30] The presence of so many members of the government marked the elevation of the resettlement movement from the fringe of politics to new prominence, as former advisor to prime ministers Alon Pinkas wrote:[31] "Even if you've seen one before, it's not the same.

[28][33] The new settlements named were:[28] The map showed Stars of David in the centers of these 3 major cities and labeled the pushpins pointing to the stars as "cores", but the map itself did not specify whether the light green area surrounding the Jewish-Israeli "cores" would be populated by Palestinians or not, although cabinet ministers frequently promoted the need to coerce Palestinians to leave their country.

The festivity during a war and around a topic involving the need to coerce Palestinians to a mass exodus from their country, which some characterize as a de facto call for ethnic cleansing, drew wide criticism.

[3] Gil Dickmann, whose cousin Carmel Gat was held hostage by Hamas, voiced his rancor at the Knesset, stating, "In the morning, you throw mud at each other, and in the evening, you dance at an event that only harms us.

At an Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption Committee meeting on Monday, Meirav Leshem-Gonen, mother of hostage Romi Gonen, said:[3] "All this talk of transfer made me shudder.

— Meirav Leshem-Gonen, mother of hostage Romi Gonen at the Knesset, 30 January 2024 Alon Pinkas, former advisor to prime ministers Ehud Barak and Shimon Peres, wrote that the Resettlement Brings Security Conference marked a milestone:[31]What you saw Sunday wasn't "Startup Nation" Israel.

— Alon Pinkas, in his essay An Orgy of Jewish Supremacy and Antidemocratic Euphoria, Encouraged by Netanyahu, published in Ha'aretz, 29 January 2024Pinkas further suggested that the extremism of the conference's theme and the implication that ultranationalist Orthodox idea is now empowered by the ruling coalition "maybe, just maybe" might force Israel to "decide" and its liberal-democratic majority to assert itself politically and change the direction of the government's actions concerning the war tactics, settlement policy, and approach to Israeli–Palestinian relations overall.

Others such as Ben Zion Gopstein sold stickers calling for Jewish revenge and director of Nachala Daniella Weiss stated that "The Gaza Arabs lost their right to be here.

"[49] Limor Son Har-Melech, an Otzma Yehudit MK, stated, "Gaza is the property of our ancestors since time immemorial, we will not rest until we settle it again".

[52][53] They were reportedly part of a group that had gathered at Sderot before forming a convoy to the Erez crossing to push for the rebuilding of Israeli settlements in Gaza, before breaking into Gazan territory.

When cautioned about the warnings from the international community about illegal Israeli settlements in Gaza, the member reportedly responded; "We are a sovereign state.

Trump continued calling Gaza a demolition site and said that "we just clean out that whole thing" and the removal of Gazans would either be temporary or long term.

[58][59] In early February 2025, Trump caused outrage while speaking with Netanyahu after he made comments that the United States could "take over" and "own" Gaza.

Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz wrote that ideas in the resettlement movement effectively equivalent to forced displacement, ethnic cleansing – such as Ben-Gvir urging Israel to create conditions such that Palestinians in Gaza would want to leave their country, and Shlomo Karhi stating that "'voluntary' [emigration] is at times a situation you impose until they give their consent".

[63]While the conference slogan was "settlement," what it was really about was transfer – this was stated explicitly and repeatedly on stage, in countless forms.— "The People of Israel Will Settle Gaza': Netanyahu's Ministers at Far-right Conference Endorse Expulsion of Palestinians", Ha-Aretz, 29 January 2023 In another article, Ha'aretz characterized the sometimes thinly veiled calls for forced displacement of Palestinians from their country "ethnic cleansing in God's name":[64]The conference's message was clear – not just rebuilding the settlements, but ethnic cleansing in God's name.— "Ethnic Cleansing in God's Name: The Only Israelis With a Plan for the 'Day After' in Gaza", Ha-Aretz, 29 January 2023Alleged "expulsions from homes and mass displacement" of Gaza Palestinians were cited in point 43(3) of the ICJ genocide case as supporting evidence that Israel is committing acts of genocide.

[65] The application also mentions in item 101 Israeli security cabinet member and Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter (Likud) stating on November 11, 2023, "we are now rolling out the Gaza Nakba".

[67] Additional downsides of the resettlement of Gaza may include:[15] New settlements would require significant security resources, potentially diverting Israeli military forces from other tasks.

[15] In addition to the specific support expressed by people and groups at the January 2024 conference, Israeli public opinion is divided on the issue of resettling Gaza.

[25] As 2023 came to an end, far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir stated "We must promote a solution to encourage the emigration of the residents of Gaza".

Zvi Sukkot, a member of the Knesset from the far-right Otzma Yehudit political party, stated that "we first need to occupy, to annex, to destroy all the houses there, build neighborhoods there" during a committee hearing.

[15] In January 2024 a Haaretz polling expert and journalist, speaking to reporters stated that the public opinion on re-establishment of settlements in Gaza varies widely.