Netanyahu announces new settlement in Gaza envelope

“I have to tell you that there’s a waiting list for every home. This is the best proof of our national resilience,” the prime minister said.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the establishment of a new settlement in the Gaza envelope during Sunday’s Cabinet meeting.

“Today, I bring before the government’s decision the establishment of a new settlement in the Gaza Envelope. This is great news for Israel, this is a great news for the communities in the Gaza Envelope,” Netanyahu said.

“We continue to develop southern communities, including moshavim and kibbutzim. We are developing new neighborhoods in Sderot and Netivot,” he said, naming two cities in the southern region of Israel.

“I have to tell you that there’s a waiting list for every home. This is the best proof of our national resilience,” the prime minister said.

Shay Hajaj, head of the one of the southern region’s regional councils, said, “The establishment of a new settlement these days, and especially in the Gaza Strip, is of enormous national importance. It makes a statement on Israel’s determination to continue to build and develop settlement in all parts of the country. The government intends to continue to develop the periphery.”

Israel’s south is one of the most dangerous places to live as it borders the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Since Israel evacuated the Gaza Strip in 2005, the region bordering it has been subject to increased attack from missiles, rockets, incendiary devices and terror tunnels.

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On October 20, the Israeli military revealed that terrorists in the Gaza Strip dug a tunnel dozens of yards deep that crossed the security fence before it was detected by underground sensors.

Israel has uncovered around 20 such tunnels since the 2014 war with the Islamic terror group Hamas, which rules Gaza. Palestinian terrorists launched deadly attacks through such tunnels during the war.

Since March 2018, Hamas began using incendiary devices tied to kites and balloons as their preferred weapon, causing damage to 1,000s of acres to nature preserves and farmland in Israel. Hamas terror balloon units have repeatedly threatened to turn the life of Jewish residents bordering the Gaza Strip into “hell.”