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On Monday, hundreds of Israeli settlers headed to the Gaza border for a conference called “Preparing to Resettle Gaza”. Among them were Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's national security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, as well as several senior members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. Alongside singing and dancing – with activities set up for families with young children – participants called for the expulsion of Gazans to other countries. Daniella Weiss, a lead organiser, said that 700 Israeli families were ready to settle across the Gaza Strip, claiming that Palestinians had “lost their right to live in Gaza” after October 7th. The conference was held opposite the Netzarim corridor, north of which the Israeli army has been bombarding towns and cities, blocking food deliveries and marching residents out at gunpoint in recent weeks, putting the area at the forefront of settlement plans. Netanyahu has said repeatedly that permanent resettlement of the Strip is “unrealistic”, but those who support it are key to his grip on power. In January, top Israeli pollster Dahlia Scheindlin said 25-40 per cent of Israeli society supported the resettlement of Gaza.
