Oren Ziv
+972 Magazine / July 20, 2026
Thousands of right-wing activists walked through a closed military zone to the Gaza fence, singing genocidal anthems as soldiers handed out bottled water.
The “March of the Thousands” could hardly be called a demonstration or a protest. Those are actions usually taken in opposition to the government, or demanding something from outside of it. But when several thousand right-wing activists marched to the Gaza fence on Sunday, calling for Israel to re-establish Jewish settlements in the Strip, they did so with the participation of almost half of the government and under the auspices of the police — even though the army had declared the area a closed military zone, making it an arrestable offense to enter.
The official reason for the march was to put pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to advance settlement construction in Gaza, which Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich promised in June would happen “as soon as the prime minister gives his approval.” But the event also intended to demonstrate who is in charge, who stands above the law and can get what they want — as they have already done in East Jerusalem and the West Bank — with or without the prime minister.
The marchers, many of whom had been bused in from settlements in the occupied West Bank, began at Zikim Beach just north of the Gaza Strip. A few hundred meters from the beach, military police had erected a checkpoint, and soldiers, with deadpan seriousness, presented the participants with a closed military zone order and tried to force their vehicles to turn back.
But the hordes who had arrived had no intention of giving up: They continued marching and passed from one checkpoint to the next, facing little resistance. As in previous instances, the goal was to reach a gathering point near the Gaza perimeter fence, a place where the general public is usually prohibited from going.
For a moment, it seemed as though the police — who had brought in riot officers and units equipped with sophisticated off-road vehicles, typically used for operations against Palestinian Bedouins in the nearby Naqab (or Negev) — were genuinely trying to repel the protesters. But the final outcome and the presence of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir among the marchers made it clear that this was merely a show, given that he is in charge of the police. Throughout the event, which lasted until after dark, crowds continued to arrive in the area near the perimeter.
Just a year ago, left-wing activists demonstrating near the fence were violently attacked and arrested. Yesterday, the atmosphere was different: It was clear that the police and the army were afraid of clashes with the marchers or of taking serious action to prevent them from getting closer to the fence.
“What can they do to us?” a young woman asked her friend rhetorically as police vehicles advanced toward them. Others debated whether they would actually manage to enter Gaza. Throughout the march, the destroyed homes of Beit Lahiya were clearly visible.
Even when hundreds of protesters descended to the military-only road right alongside the fence, no one tried to remove them, as they danced and sang the popular genocidal song calling for vengeance against Palestinians. The organizers from the Nachala settler movement politely asked the participants to return to the top, where the rally would take place, but no one listened.
Even amid the general chaos, it was astonishing to see how the army distributed large bottles of mineral water to those present within a closed military zone, right next to the fence, and throughout the event several soldiers stopped to tell the protesters “well done.” As darkness fell, military vehicles transported some of the hundreds of participants who had reached the fence back to the shuttle pickup point.
Over the years, I’ve documented hundreds of protests across Israel-Palestine. But the only transportation protesters received at any of them was a ride to the police station after being detained, and the only “drink” they got from the army and police was skunk water or tear gas.
‘There will be no more Arabs in Gaza’
The specific demand of the event was to establish three settlements in northern Gaza “even before the elections,” according to Nachala leader Daniela Weiss, who addressed the crowd that remained on the road above the fence. “We’re here to make Gaza Jewish again,” she declared. “Twenty-one years ago, 10,000 Jews were expelled [a reference to the Israeli government’s 2005 “disengagement” plan], and the place turned into a den of monsters.
“People ask me, ‘What will happen to the Arabs in Gaza?’ There will be no more Arabs in Gaza — period,” Weiss said to applause.
“This is my home; I was there. Everyone will return,” said Mazal Haniya, who lived in the Neve Dekalim settlement before the disengagement. When asked what would become of the Palestinians in Gaza, she replied: “I lived there for 20 years and never bothered anyone; they attacked me and murdered my friends. I’d be happy if they decided it’s not worth staying in such a difficult place. They should leave because they’re suffering.”
Some of the protesters’ T-shirts bore the slogan “Occupation, Expulsion, Settlements,” alongside an illustration of a bulldozer. Other T-shirts proclaimed, “Jews of Gaza: It’s not a dream, it’s reality.”
During the march, Ben-Gvir noted proudly that “if someone had said three years ago that we’d control 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, no one would have believed it.” He made no mention, of course, of the genocide that has enabled Israel’s takeover of the enclave.
Nir Barkat, Israel’s minister of economy and industry, thanked Weiss for her persistent efforts to bring about new Jewish settlements in Gaza, noting that she was doing so “in coordination with the Israeli government.”
After October 7, activities by right-wing activists near the fence — including a breach into Gaza and a conference in Jerusalem, where thousands danced and cheered while most of the public was still in shock — sparked unease and even outrage. Today, even this has been normalized, as part of the right-wing election campaign that officially kicked off yesterday.
+972 Magazine approached Israel’s police and military for comment. The police spokesperson’s office referred us to the army spokesperson’s office, whose comment will be added here if and when it is received.
Oren Ziv is a photojournalist, reporter for Local Call, and a founding member of the Activestills photography collective
