About 1,500 people gathered along the Gaza border on Thursday to march toward the Strip and plant trees near the ruins of Nisanit in the northern Gaza Strip, organizers from the Nahala Movement said.
Participants set out in groups toward the Black Arrow monument and other routes, carrying Israeli flags and saplings to signal support for renewed Jewish settlement as a path to security, according to the organizers.
“Gaza belongs to the people of Israel,” said Nahala Movement public relations manager Daniella Weiss, adding that the march was meant to demonstrate public backing for Jewish communities as a guarantor of security.
Another Nahala leader said the goal was to “give the government the strength to overcome pressures” and support new communities.
Organizers said bereaved families, families of hostages, reservists, and war-wounded joined the march to express solidarity and press for what they called a “security-first” approach to permanent Jewish presence.
Nisanit is one of three Israeli communities evacuated in 2005, and has frequently featured in debates over whether resettlement would enhance or undermine border security.
The organizers framed Thursday’s turnout as proof of public support for their message, saying, “We came back to plant roots to show the world we are home to stay.”
IDF deploys to intercept marchers
The IDF released a statement later on Thursday announcing that they were aware of the march headed towards the Gaza border fence, an area, which the military clarified "is located within a closed military zone where civilian entry is prohibited."
Troops and Israel Police officers were deployed to prevent civilian marchers from attempting to cross the border or fence.
The IDF reiterated that "approaching the border fence and crossing into the Gaza Strip is dangerous and disrupts security forces' operational activity in the area," adding that they "condemn actions that divert the attention of commanders and soldiers from their primary mission of defense and counterterrorism."