Israelis march near Gaza border calling for settlements to return

Thousands of Israelis, including settlers and right-wing activists, marched towards the Gaza border on Sunday to call for the government to re-establish Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory.

The demonstrators gathered near the border and then walked in large numbers towards a fence overlooking northern Gaza. Israeli security forces deployed to stop them from moving farther into a restricted area. Footage showed marchers carrying Israeli flags while soldiers and police blocked access.

Participant Daniel Sellem said the march was meant to show that he believed Gaza belonged to Israel and to press the government to allow Israelis to return there. He said Israelis had lived there before being removed in 2005, when Israel evacuated all settlements in Gaza under a disengagement plan.

Another participant, Yechiel Greenblum, said he saw the event as the beginning of a campaign to restore Israeli communities in Gaza. He said the 2005 withdrawal had been temporary and argued that Jews should be able to settle in northern Gaza.

Similar marches have previously sought to put pressure on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to re-establish settlements in Gaza. The source described Netanyahu's government as one of the most right-wing in Israel's history.

Israeli forces currently control more than 60 percent of the Gaza Strip, according to the report. The source said daily violence continues there despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. It also said much of Gaza has been made uninhabitable by more than two years of war.