As Palestinians face mass displacement in North Gaza, some Israelis look to resettle

Less than a mile from the Gaza border, a group of Israelis have established a makeshift community. In their tent encampment, they have a kitchen, a synagogue, and children’s facilities. They hope – one day – to take their community inside the Gaza Strip permanently – replacing the Palestinians who have been displaced by the war.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched the worst terrorist attack on the state of Israel since its founding, Israel Defense Forces have continued an intense airstrike and ground campaign that has displaced about 1.9 million Palestinians, more than 90% of Gaza's population, according to the UN.

More than 43,000 people have been killed, the majority of whom are women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

Israel once had settlements in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. They disengaged in 2005, dismantling numerous settlements and removing thousands of Israelis from Gazan territory. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.

Israel’s official policy is opposed to the “resettlement” of Gaza. But after more than a year of bombardment and displacement, a small but influential group, now with support from some far-right members of the Israeli government, have their sights set on once again moving into the Gaza Strip to establish new Jewish settlements and military occupation.

The IDF says it has executed controlled demolitions of homes and infrastructure to create "buffer zones" and security "corridors.”

Many Palestinians fear such policies are likely to lead to their permanent displacement.

At the makeshift community on Israeli soil, Amos Azaria is one of many Israelis from the far right who are actively seeking to settle permanently in Gaza.

"This is our land," Azaria told ABC News. "We're supposed to move in regardless of what they do. What's supposed to be, what's really supposed to be done with them is that they should go to anywhere in the world that supports them."

The group, he said, had been forced to move several times by the Israeli military. But Azaria, a father of seven, insists they will enter Gaza eventually. Some members propose storming the fence along the border, while others want to wait for a clear opportunity.

Their main plan is to wait until northern Gaza is empty before moving in. They have bought dozens of campers, and 700 families in Israel have signed up for a settlement plan, according to Daniella Weiss, a settler leader and activist.

Azaria and his group now have the endorsement from far-right members of the Israeli government. At a pro-settler convention held on the Gaza border last month, attended by far-right members of the governing coalition and members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, hundreds of Israelis expressed their desire to permanently displace the Palestinian population.

At the rally, far-right Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir stated:

"We can return home (to Gaza) and we can do another thing --- to encourage emigration (of Palestinians out of Gaza), encourage emigration, encourage emigration. It's the best and most moral solution, not by force but by telling them: 'we're giving you the option, leave to other countries.' The land of Israel is ours."

More than 50,000 people have been forcibly evacuated from northern Gaza since the renewed ground offensive began on Oct. 1, according to IDF. They are traveling south on foot, carrying everything they have left.

Just days ago, 26-year-old Uday Al-Tawam fled the Jabalia urban refugee camp with his mother and sister.

"I decided to leave northern Gaza because there was no longer food, drink, life, or homes to live in in the Gaza Strip," Al-Tawam said. "Even shelter schools were targeted. Every two to three days, a school was destroyed."

Al-Tawam expressed the deep difficulty in knowing that he and others will not be able to return to their homes and land. In their current situation, the lack of space has resulted in daily problems and violence. They long to return to the north by any means possible, he said.

Displacement, he says, means he now relies on the mercy of others.

Israeli airstrikes have continued to target northern Gaza, where Israel claims Hamas has regrouped. Only a small amount of aid has entered northern Gaza since the offensive began. The UN Human Rights Office issued a stark warning last week about the conditions in the strip.

"Israel's actions are aimed at creating conditions of life that are very likely to result in emptying North Gaza of its civilian Palestinian population by death or forcible transfer,” the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in the past it's not Israel's intention to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, asserting that resettlement is “off the table” and “unrealistic.”

But Israeli forces have been conducting forced evacuations in parts of Northern Gaza since Oct. 1 and have warned that people won't be able to return to their homes for now

Looking out over the strip from the encampment, Azaria said that every time he sees Gaza, he sees "home."

"Basically, when we see Gaza we say OK, the Jews are supposed to be there and we should act more so that the Jews return to their homeland," Azaria said. Again it's essential to avoid any massacre like what happened to us in Oct. 7."