Far-right 'Israeli' officials call to raise 'Israeli' flag in Gaza during Hanukkah

• Eleven 'Israeli' ministers call for raising the 'Israeli' flag in Gaza during Hanukkah.
• The ceremony targets the former settlement of Nissanit, dismantled in 2005.
• Far-right figures and right-wing lawmakers support the initiative.

Eleven 'Israeli' ministers, including eight from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, urged the Defense Minister on Thursday to authorize a flag-raising ceremony in the Gaza Strip during the upcoming Hanukkah holiday.

The initiative, led by the ultranationalist pro-settlement movement Nachala, aims to assert that Gaza is part of the Land of 'Israel'.

“It is time to proudly affirm that Gaza is part of the Land of Israel, belongs exclusively to the Jewish people, and must therefore immediately become part of the State of Israel,” the ministers wrote in a letter published by Nachala.

The letter specifically requested authorization “for this event, which is essentially intended to hoist the Israeli flag over the ruins of the town of Nissanit,” referring to a former settlement in northern Gaza dismantled during 'Israel’s' withdrawal in 2005.

- Political support and logistics -

Signatories of the letter included far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and eight Likud ministers, including Transport Minister Miri Regev, a close ally of Netanyahu. In addition, 21 members of the Knesset from Ben Gvir’s Jewish Power party and Likud, who are not cabinet members, also signed in support.

Nachala announced plans for the ceremony to take place on December 18, the fifth night of Hanukkah, in an area of Gaza currently under 'Israeli' military control.

- Rising tensions amid ceasefire -

The push for a ceremony comes amid a fragile ceasefire between 'Israel' and Hamas that took effect on October 10. The 'Israeli' army currently controls over half of Gaza following two years of devastating genocide, though a US-backed peace plan endorsed by the UN Security Council in November calls for gradual 'Israeli' troop withdrawals.

'Israeli' authorities reported that several civilians crossed into Gaza on Wednesday. Honenu, a legal aid organization serving mainly settler communities, said “dozens of right-wing activists crossed the border fence with Gaza… to call for the establishment of a settlement on the ruins of Nissanit.”