They dream of the Promised Land. In Sderot, in the south of Israel, a few kilometers from the Gaza Strip, a dozen families of religious Zionists have settled near the Palestinian territory.
“We will stay here until we reach Gaza. It is part of Israel,” Gilat, 17, who came from the West Bank with his family, told BFMTV. The teenager finishes setting up the store. There are a few who celebrate the traditional festival of Sukkot, the “festival of booths,” which takes place from October 6 to 13.
In their camp, mattresses on the floor, plastic chairs, but above all a banner with the inscription “Gaza is ours.” Each of them dreams of living in the Gaza Strip again, almost 20 years after the evacuation of the last settlements.
“It’s not dangerous there. There’s nothing stopping us from being there if we’re here,” says Shlomit, an activist with the Nachala movement.
This far-right Israeli organization urges young Jews to settle in Palestinian lands. “Each group is made up of between 15 and 25 families and plans to settle in the following locations, from northern Samaria to southern Judea,” the organization specifies on its website.
A week after the agreement signed between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, under the auspices of President Donald Trump, these Israelis oppose the ceasefire in Gaza, denouncing an illusory agreement for Israel’s security.
In accordance with the US peace plan, the Israeli army has begun the withdrawal of its troops in several areas of the enclave. To date, Hamas has given Israel 20 live hostages and nine mortal remains, in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
A “holy land” for the “people of Israel”
In the middle of the Sderot camp the voice of Shlomit is heard. “It is our responsibility that October 7 does not happen again. We have to be there (in Gaza, editor’s note),” says the activist on BFMTV.
“First of all, mainly because it is our land, but also because we cannot allow this to happen again,” the Israeli continues. The fervor of these activists is explained above all by their faith, since the Palestinian enclave is considered the “Promised Land”, described in sacred texts.
“There is no difference between the land where we are and the land over there. The entire land of Israel is holy for the people of Israel,” describes an Israeli woman who came with her husband and children.
Far from being a sign of peace, the ceasefire in Gaza represents for this family the worst decision made by the Netanyahu government. “The ceasefire is a fallacious agreement. We were forced to reach an agreement, but when we are stronger, we must attack again,” defends the father.
Although there are only a handful in the country, these religious Zionist activists can count on the support of far-right ministers in the ruling coalition.
The terrorist attack on October 7, 2023 left at least 1,219 dead in Israel. In response, the Israeli army led an offensive that devastated the Gaza Strip, causing a humanitarian disaster and leaving tens of thousands dead. At the end of August, the UN officially declared famine in several areas of the Palestinian territory, something that Israel strongly disputes.
Source: BFM TV
