Gaza Herald – Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for the establishment of three new Israeli settlements along the northern edge of the Gaza Strip, renewing settlement ambitions as Israeli military attacks continue across Gaza despite the ceasefire that came into effect in October 2025.
In a statement published Sunday on X, Smotrich urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to approve the proposal, saying Israel’s Settlement Administration was prepared to begin construction immediately.
“The Settlement Administration under my leadership is prepared to establish three settlements in the northern Gaza Strip, and I call on the prime minister to give the green light,” Smotrich wrote.
He also pledged to expand settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, announcing plans for additional settlements in northern Samaria, Mount Ebal, the Dothan Valley and more than ten other locations.
Israel dismantled all settlements in the Gaza Strip in 2005 under former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan, withdrawing both settlers and military installations from the territory.
Smotrich’s remarks came as Israeli forces continued attacks across the Gaza Strip despite the ceasefire.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, six Palestinians were killed and 23 others injured during the previous 24 hours. The ministry said that since the ceasefire took effect on October 11, 2025, Israeli attacks have killed 1,230 Palestinians and injured 4,076 others.
The ministry added that the overall death toll since the start of Israeli genocide on October 7, 2023, has reached 73,356 Palestinians killed and 174,185 injured.
Local reports said Israeli airstrikes continued throughout Sunday, with at least 11 Palestinians reportedly killed, including children, after attacks targeted several areas across the Gaza Strip, including Deir al-Balah.
The Israeli military said it had carried out targeted strikes against members of Hamas, claiming it killed Salem Jamal Abdelrahman Abu Labad, whom it identified as a commander in Hamas’ Nukhba forces, and Muhammad Abdelnasser Muhammad Khatib, whom said a commander in Hamas’ Maghazi Battalion.
The renewed attacks came amid uncertainty surrounding efforts to implement the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas said discussions regarding the complete disarmament of Palestinian factions could only proceed if Israel and the United States fulfilled commitments made under the ceasefire agreement, including a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to genocide.
The statement followed an announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said the U.S.-led Board of Peace had reached an agreement concerning the disarmament of armed groups in Gaza.
Former Israeli ambassador Alon Pinkas questioned the status of the arrangement, saying no comprehensive agreement had yet been finalized and suggesting that the Israeli government remained dissatisfied with the current framework.
Israeli media also reported that the United States is expected to deploy approximately 10 additional aerial refueling aircraft to Israel, joining dozens already stationed at Ben Gurion Airport, according to unnamed security officials.
Separately, Hamas said a delegation headed by Zaher Jabarin met officials from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement in Cairo to discuss ceasefire efforts, developments in Gaza, Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, and coordination among Palestinian factions.
The two movements reiterated calls for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and renewed international efforts to end the ongoing military attacks.
