SEVERAL Israelis breached army restrictions on Thursday to enter the Gaza Strip and hold a symbolic flag-raising ceremony, reigniting calls from the far-right for the re-establishment of settlements in the Palestinian territory.
AFP reported on Friday that the Israeli military confirmed the breach, stating that the group had been under continuous observation and emphasising that entry into Gaza remains strictly forbidden.
“Any entrance to a combat zone is forbidden, endangers civilians, and disturbs IDF operations,” the army said, noting that those who managed to enter were returned to Israeli territory.
Troops later intercepted dozens more attempting to cross at another point, though some did manage to breach a security barrier.
Right-wing social media circulated images showing roughly 20 men, women, and children standing around an Israeli flag on an empty plot at Kfar Darom, a former kibbutz in central Gaza evacuated in 2005 during Israel’s unilateral disengagement along with 20 other settlements and the withdrawal of Israeli military forces.
Daniella Weiss, a prominent figure in the settler movement, praised the action, telling supporters at a rally in the border city of Sderot, “With God’s help, this flag-raising will mark the beginning of a new era – an era in which we return to Gaza.”
She added, “Not Indonesians, not Turks, not Egyptians, not any country – only the people of Israel will rule in Gaza,” referencing countries previously floated as potential participants in an international stabilisation force.
The protest had been planned in advance. Last week, Weiss’s ultra-nationalist pro-settlement movement Nachala announced the Gaza flag-raising in a letter, which was endorsed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, 10 other ministers, and more than 20 lawmakers.
The action underscores the growing influence of fringe right-wing factions in Israel, who have intensified calls for the evacuation of Palestinians from Gaza and for the territory to be retaken in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 2023 attack and the ongoing conflict. - December 19, 2025
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