![Israeli settlers, joined by far-right ministers and lawmakers, march from the Yad Mordehay area in southern Israel toward the Gaza border, calling for the establishment of new Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by Israeli attacks in Yad Mordechai, located 10 km south of Ashkelon, Israel, on July 19, 2026. [Mostafa Alkharouf - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AA-20260720-42018276-42018247-ISRAELI_SETTLERS_MARCH_TOWARD_GAZA_BORDER_DEMANDING_ESTABLISHMENT_OF_NEW_SETTLEMENTS.jpg)
Heads of local and settlement councils in the so-called Gaza border area toured the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, meeting Israeli military officers and soldiers and making inflammatory statements calling for tighter restrictions on the enclave and continued military operations. The settlement leaders were accompanied by Israeli Southern Command chief Major General Yaniv Asor and Gaza Division commander Brigadier General Liron Bitito. Israeli media quoted Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi as saying after the tour: “The solution here is to keep striking Hamas all the time, and we must consider the yellow line as a starting point for the attack.” Davidi explicitly called for the use of starvation as a weapon against Palestinians in Gaza, saying: “We must attack those launching drones […]
