Hundreds of Israeli settlers marched toward Gaza on Thursday with their children, calling for the construction of illegal settlements and occupation of the Palestinian enclave.
The Nahala Movement organizers said about 1,500 settlers gathered along the Gaza border Thursday, marching toward the Strip while carrying Israeli flags.
“Gaza belongs to the people of Israel,” claimed settler leader Daniella Weiss, adding that the march aimed to call for Israeli settlements in Gaza and a permanent Israeli presence, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Weiss, a leading figure in the settler movement, stated she had spent 50 years “dedicated to building the land of Israel,” and played a role in establishing all 141 settlements and 224 outposts in the occupied West Bank.
In a video, she said, “The story of Palestinians is over. They are still there, but the day is not far off when they [Palestinians] will leave.”
The settlers were joined by far-right Israeli lawmaker Limor Son Har-Melech, a supporter of occupying Gaza and rebuilding settlements.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that Israel’s ongoing presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and must end “as rapidly as possible.”
Last year was among the most violent on record for Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to United Nations data which showed that over a thousand Palestinians were killed between October 7, 2023 and October 17, 2025 by Israeli forces and settlers, including more than 220 children.
In 2025, OCHA recorded at least 1,680 settler attacks, averaging five per day, and a total of 240 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 55 children, were killed by Israeli forces or settlers.
Israeli human rights group B’Tselem said settlers have been attacking Palestinians “daily,” including “shooting, beating and threatening residents, throwing stones, torching fields, destroying trees and crops, stealing produce, blocking roads, invading homes, and burning cars.”
Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. Currently, 600,000 to 750,000 settlers live in over 250 settlements and outposts across the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.
Many of these are near Palestinian towns and villages, often resulting in attacks on Palestinian residents and severe movement restrictions.
The number of illegal settlements and outposts in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem has increased by nearly 50 percent since 2022, rising from 141 to 210 now.
The march took place as Israel continues to violate the ceasefire that began in October, killing hundreds of civilians and restricting the entry of essential humanitarian aid.
