Sixteen families moved into caravans in the community of Sa-Nur in northern Samaria on Sunday, marking the first Jewish residence at the site since it was evacuated during the disengagement in 2005.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who attended the occasion, posted a video on X in which he was seen congratulating the families.
“In addition to the [reestablishment of the] four communities, Sa-Nur, Chomesh, Ganim and Kadim, [this government] has decided to establish 11 more communities in northern Samaria,” the minister told those in attendance in Sa-Nur.
If on the eve of the disengagement plan there were 10 Israeli towns in the area, 21 communities are now ready for construction, Smotrich said.
חזרנו הביתה לשא-נור! 🧡🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/cu2yojbcrG
— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) April 20, 2026
Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, has returned to Sa-Nur with his wife, Oriya, after they were evacuated from the community 21 years ago.
“We were expelled from here as a young couple twenty years ago, and we are returning now with our four children, happy,” Oriya Dagan was quoted as saying by Israel National News.
Her husband added, “Last night I couldn’t fall asleep. Since we were expelled from here, since they lifted us by force and dragged us out of the fortress, we have never stopped dreaming, praying, struggling, and working to return here together with the wonderful families who are coming back to the community. Thank God, the people of Israel are winning today.”
Dagan said that this time, the families have returned to Sa-Nur “for good,” describing the town as “the heart of the Land of Israel, the center of the biblical land,” where Joseph went to look for his brothers and Abraham, Elijah and Elisha passed through.
Holding Sa-Nur restores security to the entire State of Israel, the head of the Samaria Regional Council said, per INN.
Speaking on Sunday morning to the large audience that attended the resettlement, Dagan vowed that “We have returned forever. The eternity of Israel does not lie, and the eternity of Sa-Nur will not lie. We are here to stay. We will turn Sa-Nur into a city and make the northern Samaria region one of the most flourishing areas in the State of Israel.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Settlement Minister Orit Strook, Tourism Minister Haim Katz and Knesset members attended the event as well.
Additional families are expected to move in this summer.
