It seems that there is an Israeli plan to build a huge settlement after leveling the Gaza Strip to the ground, with daily bombing and the systematic and barbaric destruction of all aspects of life, from vital institutions to the joints of identity, history and civilization.

A private Instagram account titled “Harey Zahav” (Golden Mountains), an Israeli real estate company that until now specializes in constructing homes in settlements built in the West Bank, published pictures of construction projects in the devastated Gaza Strip, according to Liberation magazine. ".

The French magazine published a drawing showing the names of the future colonies: “Ma’ale Atzmona”, “Oren”, “Neve Katif”... in addition to other names mentioned in a second post on Instagram dating back to December 11, showing a map in Hebrew of these settlements in Gaza strip. Their names are similar to the names of settlements located on the perimeter of the Strip. In an in-depth look at the drawing of the Neve Qatif area, we find drawings of new buildings, warehouses, and a hospital.

It seems that there is an Israeli plan to build a huge settlement after leveling the Gaza Strip to the ground, with daily bombing and the systematic and barbaric destruction of all aspects of life, from vital institutions to the joints of identity, history and civilization.

“Liberation” quoted the Israeli news site “Davar Hayom” as news about a conference held on “practical preparation for installation in Gaza” on December 11 in “Givat Washington,” a religious youth village in central Israel.

The conference was organized by 15 organizations, with the participation of 150 interested parties who consider the ongoing war “a historic opportunity for the Israelis to return to stability in the Gaza Strip.” According to journalist David Tversky, who attended the meeting, “many of the participants are evacuees from Gush Katif and their families,” and they “hope to garner broad support among Israeli public opinion and put pressure on political leaders, but Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and international public opinion are officially opposed resettlement in Gaza territory".

The French magazine described the projects as “provocative” and reflect the aspirations of some Israelis to occupy Gaza. It quoted a tweet from “X” written by Israeli lawyer Itay Epstein, former director of the Israeli branch of “Amnesty International,” and former co-director of the “Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions - ICAD,” a humanitarian organization that criticizes the development of Israeli settlements, in which he said that these photos is a "media trick," and this provocation "reflects a deep feeling that wants to seize lands and colonize at the expense of the Palestinians."

Half of Israelis support the project

Since the October 7 attack and the barbaric Israeli military response to the Gaza Strip, several Israeli newspapers have echoed activists' demands for the return of Israelis to Gaza. According to the “Liberation” report, several English-language Israeli media outlets, such as “Time of Israel” and others, published an opinion poll conducted by Channel 12 stating that 44% of Israelis support Jewish settlement in Gaza and 39% oppose it.

In addition to this poll, the Time of Israel newspaper noted in an article published in early December that there is “other evidence indicating that the idea of re-establishing Jewish communities in Gaza enjoys widespread support, especially among Israeli youth.” 

As examples of this evidence, it cited several social media posts by young Israeli soldiers in Gaza carrying posters demanding the return of Israelis, or a video clip of an Israeli singer motivating the troops by singing: “We will return to Gush Katif, we will establish Nova Beach on the Bay of Gaza,” referring to the Nova Festival, During which hundreds of Israeli youth were killed at the beginning of the Hamas attack. On the other hand, a new poll conducted by the Hebrew University among 1,800 people, the results of which were presented at the end of last week, confirms the opposite, as it indicates that 56% of Israelis oppose the Jewish settlement policy in Gaza, only 33% support, and 11% are not sure.

"Gush Katif" is a group of Israeli settlements established in the Gaza Strip in the early 1970s, from which Israel withdrew in 2005, during the era of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, as part of a unilateral plan known as "disengagement" from the Gaza Strip.

What is this company?

This real estate company (Harey Zahav - Golden Mountains), which was established in 2007, claims on its website that it is “one of the main companies in the real estate market” in these areas, and that it is involved in about 25 residential projects, and has delivered more than 1,000 housing units to customers, while there are about 1,000 under construction. Since October 7, she has been posting photos and videos on her Instagram account highlighting the military commitment of her reserve employees.

Among these soldiers, we find the chief engineer and his deputy filming themselves from Gaza, sometimes behind the wheel of an excavator, promising their subscribers to build the homes of the future. Another post dated December 8 (deleted last Sunday) shows a group of soldiers carrying a banner with the name of the company announcing, “Here the new Ma’ale Atzmona settlement will be built.”

The origin of forced displacement to Egypt

The French report asked whether attention should be paid to these publications while the question of Gaza's future remains unresolved and Israeli resettlement is not officially planned. According to the report, the Israeli government reiterates that its goal is to destroy Hamas, not to expel the Palestinians, despite the fact that the massive devastation inflicted on Gaza limits the return of Palestinians to their destroyed homes. The Israeli military presence in Gaza will continue until a Palestinian authority is formed that guarantees the security of the Jewish state.

The report referred to a memorandum issued by the Israeli Ministry of Intelligence, revealed at the end of October by the Israeli-Palestinian news site Mekumet, with support from WikiLeaks, talking about a plan to forcibly displace civilians from Gaza to Egypt, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office downplayed of the importance of its scope, describing it as a “virtual practice.”

According to the report, “many Internet users condemned the publication of these images while the Israeli army continues its ground attack on the Gaza Strip.” It pointed to a photo in particular that was widely shared online, posted on December 13, showing drawings of house models lined up and superimposed on the rubble of Gaza, accompanied by a message written in Hebrew: “A house on the beach is not a dream,” with the caption below: “We, Golden Mountains (Golden Mountains) Golden Mountains), we are working to pave the way for the return to Gush Katif. A number of our employees have begun work on reclamation work, removing rubble, and evacuating the illegal residents there. We hope that all the kidnapped people will return to their homes safely in the near future, and that our soldiers will return to their homes, and we can start construction throughout the Gush Katif area.”

"Gush Katif" is a group of Israeli settlements established in the Gaza Strip in the early 1970s, from which Israel withdrew in 2005, during the era of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, as part of a unilateral plan known as "disengagement" from the Gaza Strip.