Two children carrying Israeli flag slip under Gaza border fence amid settler activity
Incident occurred as activists planted trees in closed military zone; adult heard telling kid to ‘plant the flag well’; IDF says children didn’t cross into Strip
In an unusual incident on Thursday, two young Israeli children managed to slip under the Gaza border fence, heading toward the Strip while carrying an Israeli flag.
The incident occurred as dozens of settler activists arrived at the border near Mefalsim to plant trees for the Tu Bishvat holiday, despite the area being a closed military zone.
In the video, an adult can be heard encouraging one child to “plant the flag well.”
The Israel Defense Forces said the two children crawled under the fence, built in Israeli territory, but did not cross into Gaza territory.
As the army arrived to disperse the illegal gathering on the border, the children headed back under the fence, the IDF said.
There was no comment from authorities as to whether the parents would face sanctions from the police or welfare authorities.
הסרטון הזה מתפרסם בקבוצות ווצאפ עם הכיתוב: "בשמחת תורה היו אלה ילדים עזתים שפרצו את הגדר לכיוון שלנו היום טו בשבט ילדים שלנו פרצו את הגדר אל תוך חבל עזה" pic.twitter.com/TS13WJouXa
— שיראל ללום נהיר???????? (@shirellaloom) January 25, 2024
The incident came amid increased calls by hardline right-wing activists to resettle Gaza after the war, despite the government publicly declaring it has no intention to do so.
However, on Sunday, the activists will hold a large conference on “Jewish settlement in Gaza” at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center that is expected to draw over 3,000 people.
Two Likud ministers, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar and Tourism Minister Haim Katz, will speak at the conference.
Additional Likud ministers are also expected to attend and speak at the event. All of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party’s cabinet ministers will be there, and it is also likely that fellow far-right party Religious Zionism’s ministers will attend.
Several other Knesset lawmakers are also set to address the event, including seven from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party.
Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, dismantling its settlements, pulling out the IDF, and leaving the territory in the hands of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas took control of Gaza in a violent coup in 2007, and no elections have been held since.
War erupted on October 7 with a cross-border onslaught in which Hamas-led terrorists killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault. Terrorists also abducted 253 people who were taken as hostages to Gaza, where more than half remain captive.
Israel responded to the attack with a military campaign with the stated aims of destroying Hamas, removing it from power in Gaza, and securing the release of the hostages.
Israel’s leaders have repeatedly dismissed the idea of reestablishing settlements in Gaza, amid outright opposition from the international community, particularly Israel’s chief ally, the United States.
Still, the military campaign in the Strip to fell Hamas has raised hopes among some stalwarts of the settlement movement.
Shalom Yerushalmi contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.