Israeli MK, settlers cross into Gaza, call for permanent occupation

Dozens of right-wing Israeli settlers crossed into Gaza overnight in a coordinated campaign openly advocating permanent Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory.

The group, which included men, women and children, was led by extremist Knesset Member Limor Son Har-Meleh of the ultranationalist and Kahanist Otzma Yehudit party.

She declared that "Gaza will be Jewish", calling for the return of Israeli control over the enclave, which Israel withdrew from under its 2005 disengagement plan.

Son Har-Meleh said that only by building Jewish settlements in Gaza could Israel ensure "victory and true security for the people of Israel", language widely interpreted as support for permanent occupation and the exclusion of Palestinians from the territory.

The event was organised by the hardline Nachala settler movement and publicly framed as a "tree planting" ceremony.

The rhetoric mirrors repeated calls by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition for renewed Israeli control of Gaza, a move widely regarded by Palestinians and international legal experts as illegal under international law.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has previously spoken of "renewing settlements in Gaza" at pro-settlement events, with critics warning such proposals amount to entrenching permanent occupation and displacing the Palestinian population.

"Jewish boys and girls will play in the streets of Gaza", MK Son Har-Meleh said on Thursday evening, "and prosperous cities will arise in Gaza and life will flourish".

The incident marked the second time this month that extremist settler activists breached the separation fence into Gaza.

The Israeli military, which has designated the area a closed military zone, said it "strongly condemns" the action and detained those involved before transferring them back into Israeli territory.

Right-wing activists reportedly crossed northern Gaza via vehicles in at least two points, according to Ynet, in an incident that the Israeli military said it "strongly condemns" and "endangers the safety of civilians".

Israel’s military issued a statement saying that the group of individuals were "under constant monitoring" by the army from observation posts along the border, who subsequently detained the individuals and transferred them back into Israeli territory.

It is unclear how long the pro-settlement group was allowed inside the so-called Yellow Line before being arrested and transferred to the Israel Police.

The incursion comes as Israel continues to prevent the return of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to their homes in Israeli-controlled areas of the besieged enclave.