Courtesy of JNS. Photo credit: Sraya Diamant/Flash90
Nachala Settlement Movement founder Daniella Weiss speaks during a protest calling for return to the Evyatar outpost, near Nablus, on Feb. 18, 2022
(JNS) — Former Kedumim Mayor Daniella Weiss, a prominent Zionist activist and director of the Nachala Settlement Movement, entered the Gaza Strip without official authorization on Nov. 13.
The incident became known on Thursday, after the death in Lebanon of Israeli researcher Maj. (res.) Ze’ev (“Jabo”) Ehrlich. Ehrlich was killed during his visit, as a civilian, to an archaeological site while accompanied by IDF soldiers.
According to an investigative report by Kan News, Weiss and associates crossed into Gaza with the assistance of military personnel, despite the area being designated as a closed military zone. They went to scout potential locations for Jewish communities.
Weiss, known for her leadership in the Gush Emunim movement, has been actively promoting a plan for Jewish communities in Gaza. Her organization has reportedly prepared six settlement nuclei involving hundreds of families.
The unauthorized entry occurred near the Netzarim Corridor that divides the northern and southern Strip, where Weiss contacted IDF personnel close to her. A military jeep was dispatched to transport her and her team to the site of the former Israeli community of Netzarim, about three miles southwest of Gaza City.
After their tour, they were returned to Israeli territory without passing through the IDF checkpoint, bypassing standard procedure.
This incident has raised alarm bells within the Israeli Defense Forces, as it reportedly took place without the knowledge of Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi or OC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman. The IDF initially expressed doubt about the report but later confirmed that the matter is under investigation.
The IDF stated, “The new details received are under investigation. As of the response date, Daniella Weiss’s entry into the Gaza Strip is neither recognized nor approved through official channels. If such actions were undertaken, they are illegal and against regulations and will be dealt with accordingly.”
Weiss, in a conversation with Kan News, outlined her strategy: “We are no longer waiting for authorization. The moment entry is possible, we enter. We don’t wait for water supply infrastructure, generators or any other preparations. If 300 people enter at once, evacuating them would require 1,000 soldiers.”
This incident follows Weiss’s previous claim of having visited Gaza to scout locations. In a televised interview on Nov. 18, she said that she had support from 740 families to establish communities in the Strip.
In January, 5,000 activists filled three large halls to overflowing at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem in a show of solidarity with building Jewish towns in the Gaza Strip, similar to what existed before the disengagement in 2005.
In June, Israeli MKs Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit Party) and Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism) launched a parliamentary caucus focused on rebuilding Israeli communities in the Gaza Strip.
In August, the Samaria Regional Council initiated a campaign for the reestablishment of Jewish towns in the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria. In addition, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan called on the Israeli government to allow Jews to once more live in Gush Katif, in the southern Strip, where 17 Israeli communities existed before the disengagement. Furthermore, six people were arrested after trying to infiltrate Gaza and arrange a prayer service on the 19th anniversary of the disengagement.
On Oct. 21, a dozen Israeli Cabinet ministers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, attended a conference aimed at encouraging the return of Jewish communities to Gaza.
