These actions to resettle were not an official government resettlement program, but settler‑linked demonstrations and attempts aimed at promoting the idea of returning Jewish settlers to Gaza following the 2005 withdrawal. Political figures like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have called for rebuilding Jewish communities in Gaza, but Prime Minister Netanyahu has ruled out civilian resettlement since May 2024.

In December 18, 2025, a group of Israeli settlers from the Nahala movement actually crossed into the Gaza Strip, demanding the area be resettled by Israelis after the war. The Israeli military removed them and returned them to Israeli territory.

The IDF also added that a second crossing attempt was made at a different point of the security fence between Gaza and Israel. "IDF and Israel Police forces were dispatched to the scene and prevented their crossing into the Gaza Strip," read the statement.

In February 5, 2026, Hundreds of Israelis, led by the Nachala Settlement Movement, attempted to enter the Gaza Strip during a rally supporting Jewish resettlement of the area. Some crossed into the buffer zone before being detained by the IDF and handed over to police. The protest, attended by around 1,500 activists, aimed to plant trees in the evacuated northern Gaza community of Nisanit. The IDF condemned the action as dangerous and disruptive.