Military closes area around Gaza ahead of settler march into Strip

The Israel Defense Forces says it has declared the entire Gaza periphery region a closed military zone, ahead of a mass march to the area by a right-wing group seeking to reestablish Israeli settlements inside the Strip.

The closed zone, in effect from 8 a.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Monday, covers the entire Gaza periphery from Yad Mordechai, north of the enclave, to Route 232 to its east all the way to Kerem Shalom at its extreme south.

The March of Thousands, organized by the Nahala settler group, is expected to depart from the Yad Mordechai area at 5 p.m., with the goal of “returning home after 21 years,” according to organizers, a reference to the 2005 evacuation of Israel’s Gush Katif settlement bloc inside Gaza.

Organizers have set their sights specifically on re-establishing settlement in the northern part of the Strip.

A military source says the closed zone was issued due to the march’s “intention of entering the Gaza Strip illegally.”

A poster advertising the march lists over a dozen right-wing groups and political parties as co-sponsors, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.

Several members of the cabinet are expected to attend the march, according to the flyer, including Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, among other Likud Ministers, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also in charge of the Defense Ministry’s administration of settlements in the West Bank.

The army regularly issues closed military zone orders as a crowd control measure.