Gaza Herald _After waging a genocidal war and starving Gaza’s population, top Israeli officials are now talking openly about colonizing what’s left of the Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have given the strongest signal yet that they want to build new Jewish settlements on the ruins of Gaza after nearly three years of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians there.
Last Monday, Smotrich, who said he’d only stay in the coalition if he got more control over settlement expansion, told reporters his ministry already has plans for three settlements in northern Gaza. According to him, the only thing missing is Netanyahu’s approval.
The next day, Netanyahu wouldn’t say no. On far-right Channel 14, he dodged the question.
“Do you want to do or just talk?” he said. “I prefer not to address it.”
Settlements Are Illegal. So Is Forced Expulsion
All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal under international law. The same would apply in Gaza.
To clear the way, Israel has already killed over 73,000 Palestinians in Gaza. Netanyahu also floated “voluntary migration” for those who remain, a term international legal experts call ethnic cleansing.
At the same time, UN-backed experts have accused Israel of deliberately creating famine in Gaza and, more recently, of intensifying genocide by targeting children.
The Land Is Being Cleared By Force
It’s hard to know how far physical preparations have gone. Northern Gaza City has been flattened. Israel has systematically demolished homes, schools, and institutions, leaving little standing that wasn’t already bombed from the air.
Settlement supporters see the empty land as a chance to create a permanent buffer between Israel and Gaza.
With Israeli elections coming, Smotrich and Netanyahu also have a political reason to float the idea.
“The Israeli public has been fed almost nonstop incitement to genocide since Oct 7,” said Neve Gordon, an Israeli professor at Queen Mary University of London. “Most people watching Israeli TV have no idea how much of Gaza is destroyed, or how much suffering is happening.
“There are even ‘tourist spots’ in Israel where people go to watch the bombing. That’s who Smotrich is talking to: those who are destroying settlements in Gaza. But we can’t dismiss it as just talk. There’s a real, consistent push across Israeli politics to recolonize Gaza.”
Ethnic Cleansing Has a History Here
Hardline religious Israelis have pushed to resettle Gaza since the 2005 disengagement, when Israel removed 21 illegal settlements. Since then, analysts say settler groups have worked to take over key Israeli institutions: education, media, and government.
Groups like the far-right settler organization Nachala have been open about it. Months into the genocide, Nachala held a conference called “Settlement Brings Security and Victory” to promote returning to Gaza. Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir both attended.
Smotrich is also under political pressure. His Religious Zionist party may not pass the election threshold before the October deadline. Talking up Gaza settlements could be a way to rally the far-right base.
Political Survival, Not Policy
For Netanyahu, the stakes are higher. He’s on trial for corruption and faces prison if convicted. He’s also under fire for blocking an independent probe into his government’s failures on Oct 7.
Pushing settlements and expulsion could help him look “tough” before elections.
“If you want to stand out before the vote, now’s your chance,” said political analyst Ori Goldberg. “Propose more hardship for Palestinians, and almost no one in the Knesset will oppose you, except Ofer Cassif on the left.
“People don’t care anymore,” he said. “There’s no response to your suffering. Israelis have gone numb. It’s a black hole.”
*International Complicity Makes It Possible*
Domestically, there’s little resistance. Internationally, there could be backlash, which may be why Israel hasn’t moved beyond planning yet.
But would there be real consequences?
Many point to U.S. military and diplomatic cover, plus EU trade, as what lets Israel act with impunity. Despite criticism, Europe remains Israel’s biggest trading partner.
“Since 2023, we’ve seen the biggest settlement expansion since Oslo, plus plans to kill the two-state solution,” said Hugh Lovatt of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “There’s been criticism, but almost no action. I’m not sure Gaza would be different. Gaza has gotten more U.S. attention than the West Bank since the ceasefire.”
“Would Israel risk blocking Trump’s Gaza plan with a move like this? Not sure,” Lovatt said. Trump’s plan allows Israel to stay in Gaza but doesn’t mention settlements.
He added that Europe has failed to act so far, but expanding settlements into Gaza could finally force a response.
Netanyahu and Smotrich are testing the ground for permanent colonization of Gaza after mass killing and famine. The land is being cleared. The political groundwork is being laid. And with U.S. and EU support, Israel is betting it can get away with it again.
