According to reports, senior figures from Israel’s Likud Party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are preparing to host a conference next week aimed at advocating the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip.
Despite Netanyahu’s earlier statements rejecting the idea of returning to Gaza settlements, the initiative has garnered support from prominent right-wing ministers, parliamentarians, and activists within the Likud party. The event, planned for Monday near the Gaza border, will carry the Likud Party’s slogan alongside “Gaza is Ours, Forever” and is titled “Preparing to Resettle Gaza,” reflecting efforts to re-establish Israeli presence in the area that was evacuated in 2005.
Social Equality Minister May Golan is among the leading organisers, supported by several Likud parliamentarians and activists.
The United States has consistently opposed the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza, a position it has reiterated during the ongoing conflict, as Israel previously dismantled its settlements in the territory almost two decades ago.
According to the Israeli news site Walla, such initiatives could complicate Israel’s defence in cases before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, as international law considers settlements in Occupied Territories illegal. South Africa filed a case against Israel at the ICJ in December 2023, accusing the country of breaching the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. The ICJ held hearings in January 2024 to discuss protective measures for Gaza.
The conference has also gained backing from other right-wing coalition members, including the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the Religious Zionism party, headed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Both parties have been vocal in supporting the expansion of settlements in Gaza.
Opposition figures, including former Defence Minister Gadi Eisenkot of the National Unity party, have criticised the move. Eisenkot, who lost his son in the conflict, expressed strong opposition, stating: “Our sons and daughters did not sacrifice their lives for this.” He added that advocating for settlements in Gaza undermines the broader national consensus and contradicts the stated objectives of the war.
Israel’s recent invasion of Gaza, launched in response to a Hamas attack last year, has resulted in over 42,400 deaths, predominantly women and children, and more than 99,000 injuries. The conflict has since escalated to Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes have killed over 1,500 people and injured more than 4,500 since September 23.
Despite international warnings about the risk of a regional conflict in the Middle East due to Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza and Lebanon, Israel expanded its operations by launching a ground incursion into southern Lebanon on 1 October.