Thousands of Israelis marched to the Gaza border on July 19 demanding the re-establishment of settlements evacuated in 2005, with cabinet ministers and settler movement organizers leading participants through a military-declared closed zone to the border fence [3][4][9]. The march, organized by the EU-sanctioned Nachala movement under the slogan "After 21 years, we are coming home," drew participants including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and Economy Minister Nir Barkat [4][9]. Organizers reported 10,000 participants, while other outlets described "hundreds" or "around two thousand" [4][6][9].

March participant Daniel Sellem stated: "We are walking today to tell the government of Israel and show all the world that this land belongs to us and that Gaza really belongs to us and that we want to go back there" [3]. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi called for Israelis to settle in all regions of the land granted to their forefathers, including Gaza [6][20]. Ben Gvir posted a video from the march with the caption "Gaza is ours" [9][16]. Defence Minister Israel Katz announced plans to establish three Nahal outposts in northern Gaza and stated Israel would not retreat from the "Yellow Line" controlling approximately 70% of the Strip as long as Hamas does not disarm [1]. Smotrich said Israel is preparing to establish a bloc of three settlements in northern Gaza as soon as the prime minister gives approval [25].

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Gaza will not be resettled, despite his Likud party being listed among the rally's sponsors [9]. This official position stands apart from the participation of his government's ministers in the march and their public calls for settlement [9][16].

Former Israeli diplomat Alon Liel described the settlement drive as ideological: "This is their ideology. They want the Gazans out of Gaza and they want to settle there like they settle in the West Bank" [1]. Issam Younis, director of the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, stated: "It was very clear from day one in the genocide that the main goal was to make life impossible in Gaza by destroying everything" [1]. Palestinian lawyer Diana Buttu told Al Jazeera that Israel's settlement drive has been enabled by a lack of accountability, saying "a country that commits genocide and ethnic cleansing feels emboldened to steal more land" [9]. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem called the march a violation of the ceasefire and a sign of intent to resume genocide [15][23].

Gaza's Government Media Office reported that Israel has committed 3,795 ceasefire violations since October, resulting in 1,168 Palestinian deaths, 3,734 wounded, and 149 detained [8]. A separate report from the same office cited 3,269 violations and 992 deaths [27]. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 1,127 Palestinians including 260 children have been killed since the October ceasefire [2][7], while Wafa reported the death toll at 1,444 [4]. Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said: "They lied to you when they said there was a ceasefire in Gaza. What kind of ceasefire is this when children are still being killed, homes are being bombed, tents are being targeted, and families are grieving every day?" [2].

The Israeli military stated that specific strikes targeted Hamas infrastructure and militants [7]. Israeli strikes in Gaza City on July 19 killed at least nine Palestinians including three children, according to Shifa Hospital director Mohammed Abu Selmiya [7]. A family of five including three children was killed in a strike on a residential apartment in northwest Gaza City [11]. Israeli artillery targeted a street in the Zeitoun neighborhood, killing three Palestinians, and a five-year-old girl was shot in the head in the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis [5]. An airstrike on tents for displaced people in Mawasi killed one Palestinian and wounded ten others, most of them children [10].

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian village of al-Tuwani in Masafer Yatta, setting homes, vehicles, and a mosque on fire, with Palestinian media reporting that Israeli forces provided protection during the assault [12][26]. Settlers also stormed Palestinian homes in the Wadi al-Rakhim area south of Yatta, stealing sheep, with Israeli forces accompanying armed settlers and firing live ammunition [14]. A child was hospitalized for severe shock during the raid [14]. The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf condemned the burning of the mosque as a "fully fledged terrorist act" and called for international intervention [26]. OCHA reported that settler attacks have become a leading cause of Palestinian injuries in the West Bank in 2026, accounting for 55% of all injuries [18]. Palestinian Presidency spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the Israeli government bears full responsibility for settler crimes as it provides them protection and impunity [15][28].

The EU has issued sanctions on Nachala and its director Daniella Weiss for systematic human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank [4]. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said a full ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements had the "greatest support" from EU foreign ministers [21]. France called on the UN Security Council to reverse what it described as deteriorating dynamics in Gaza, including daily ceasefire violations, obstruction of aid, and expansion of Israeli occupation [22]. The International Court of Justice declared in 2024 that the continued Israeli presence in Palestinian territories is illegal [4].

The Trump administration's "Board of Peace" plan for Gaza reconstruction has been reduced to a small pilot humanitarian zone of portable cabins, according to a Board official [1][19]. UN Deputy Special Coordinator Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov condemned the obstruction of humanitarian operations by de facto authorities in Gaza, calling it an unacceptable pattern of intimidation and violence [17]. Only 35% of expected humanitarian aid trucks have entered Gaza under the ceasefire agreement [8].

India reaffirmed its commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East and its support for a two-state solution [24]. Lebanon's death toll from Israeli attacks since March has risen to 4,328 killed and over 12,200 wounded, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington to discuss a ceasefire and Israeli troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon [13].