The Israeli settler movement "Nahal" announced on Friday the establishment of a new settlement outpost near the Gaza Strip border, in an operation participants described as unprecedented. The movement stated on the "X" platform that it founded a new settlement facing the city of Gaza, noting that the site includes infrastructure and structures built near the security fence.
Wide participation and claims of large numbers
The movement claimed that more than 700 people participated in the operation, including bereaved families, injured soldiers, rabbis, and public figures, and that the new settlement was named "Pioneers of Gaza." Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi participated in the operation, stating that the step brings them closer to the desired goal. Also, the candidate for the "Identity" party, Omer Omer Batshania, confirmed that movement members built structures hundreds of meters from the border fence.
Military closure and dispersal of activists
For her part, the "Jerusalem Post" reported that the Israeli army closed roads around the Nahal Oz and Kfar Aza kibbutzim on Friday morning after activists arrived at the Simoni forest. The Israeli police worked to disperse the settlers, and the army declared the area between the border fence and residential settlements a closed military zone to prevent their return. Military sources stated that the actual number of people present did not exceed 50, despite organizers' claims of larger numbers.
Movement goals and historical context
The newspaper pointed out that the activists' stated goal is to establish Israeli residential settlements inside the Strip, despite reaching only the dividing area. The "Nahal" movement was founded in 2005 to encourage settlement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and seeks to displace Palestinians. Towns and kibbutzim surround the Gaza Strip at a distance ranging between 7 to 20 kilometers from the border, within the "Disengagement Plan" led by Ariel Sharon.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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