Israel will establish 3 outpost settlements in northern Gaza, says defense chief

Israel’s military will build three outpost settlements in northern Gaza on the ruins of Israeli towns evacuated in the 2005 Disengagement, says Defense Minister Israel Katz.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed this week that the IDF will establish three military-linked settlement groups at the sites of former Israeli communities in northern Gaza, reviving a proposal that could create the foundation for a permanent Jewish civilian presence inside the coastal enclave.

Katz disclosed the plan during a tour of northern Gaza with senior military commanders on Sunday. His remarks were broadcast Monday evening in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14.

“I intend to establish three Nahal groups, which are also a military entity, in the same places that existed in northern Gaza,” Katz said.

He argued that the proposed outposts would strengthen Israel’s control of the area and improve the protection of Israeli communities near the Gaza border, describing the move as necessary “at the appropriate time.”

Katz did not name the three locations. His reference to three groups at sites where Israeli communities previously stood, however, appeared to point to Nisanit, Dugit and Elei Sinai — the three Israeli communities that formed the northern Gaza settlement bloc before Israel’s 2005 Gaza Disengagement.

The three communities were evacuated and demolished along with the towns of Gush Katif and Israel’s other Gaza communities when the government withdrew its permanent military and civilian presence from the territory.

Katz used the term “garinei Nahal,” or Nahal pioneer groups, rather than explicitly announcing the immediate construction of three purely civilian towns.

Historically, however, while Nahal settlements were initially quasi-military in nature, many of those outposts were later transferred to civilian residents and developed into permanent communities.

The model therefore allows Israel to initially present the sites as security installations staffed through a military framework while retaining the option of converting them into civilian settlements later.

Channel 14 characterized Katz’s proposal as a new strategic objective intended to establish a permanent Jewish presence in northern Gaza.

There has been no Cabinet decision approving the plan, nor has any date been publicly set for the construction of the three outpost settlements.

Katz’s statement marks the second time in less than seven months that he has publicly raised the prospect of deploying Nahal groups to former settlement sites in northern Gaza.

Speaking at an event in Beit El in December, Katz said: “With God’s help, when the time comes, also in northern Gaza, we will establish Nahal pioneer groups in place of the settlements that were evacuated.”

He also declared at the time that Israel would maintain a lasting military presence in Gaza and would not entrust the protection of Israeli communities to foreign forces.

Those remarks prompted questions from the United States because they appeared to contradict the American-backed Gaza framework, which envisaged a gradual Israeli military withdrawal and ruled out permanent Israeli occupation or annexation of the territory.

Within hours, Katz’s office issued a clarification saying: “The government has no intention of establishing [civilian] settlements in the Gaza Strip.”

His office said the proposed Nahal deployment had been discussed “solely in a security context,” drawing a distinction between military outposts and restored civilian settlements.

The latest remarks are more specific than Katz’s December statement because he identified a precise number — three — and said the groups would be placed at the locations of the former northern Gaza communities.

During the Gaza tour, Katz linked the proposed outposts to a broader shift away from temporary military raids and toward continued Israeli control of territory captured from Hamas.

Asked about the extensive destruction visible in Gaza, Katz said it resulted from a deliberate policy intended to remove threats and prevent Hamas from rebuilding its military infrastructure. He said the IDF was no longer following a pattern of entering an area, conducting an operation and then withdrawing.

Senior commanders accompanying Katz said Israeli forces currently controlled approximately 65% of the Gaza Strip. The commanders also said that the military had established holding and security zones designed to prevent Hamas from returning to areas under Israeli control.