A small group of Israeli civilians entered the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening, calling on the government to establish a permanent Israeli presence there.
The group, according to Channel 12 News numbering between seven and nine people, was “under constant monitoring” and was returned to Israeli territory shortly after crossing the border, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
“The IDF emphasizes that any entrance to a combat zone is forbidden, endangers the civilians and disturbs IDF operations in the area. The civilians were transferred to the Israel Police for further processing,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
One member of the group posted a video from the northern Strip, according to Israel Hayom.
“I’m here inside the Gaza Strip area, within the Yellow Line controlled by the IDF,” the man was quoted as saying, referring to the designated line to which Israeli troops have withdrawn to as part of the first stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
“We came to plant an [olive] sapling in support of Jewish settlement in the Gaza region. All of the Land of Israel belongs to us, and after the horrific massacre we experienced, we must understand this, internalize it, and treat the enemy accordingly: take territory, conquer and settle. Am Yisrael Chai,” he said.
The group called on the government to “immediately authorize Jewish settlement in the area. This is the best answer to terror,” according to Israel Hayom.
