Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, during a visit to the Gaza border on Thursday, called for Jewish settlement in the coastal enclave as a response to the October 7 massacre and the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.
He criticized the ICC for pursuing alleged war crime charges against Israeli leaders instead of focusing on the release of 101 hostages still held by Hamas.
Goldknopf was photographed near the Netzarim Corridor access road alongside right-wing activist Daniella Weiss and the Nachala movement, which promotes settlement initiatives, including a plan labeled the "Map of the Garinei Hityashvut in Gaza," using a Hebrew term referring to small groups or communities committed to establishing and developing new Jewish settlements.
Goldknopf is not the only minister showing interest in Gaza settlements. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich advocated for the "voluntary emigration" of Gaza residents and the complete military reoccupation of the territory.
Speaking at a conference of the Yesha Council, a settler lobby, Smotrich claimed Israel could assume civil responsibility for Gaza, dismissing concerns over costs. "Even if it costs five billion shekels, I’d spread it over 50 years—this is what’s needed to secure Israel’s safety," he said, adding that military boots on the ground would be essential to combat terrorism and maintain security.
Smotrich also cited opportunities created by the incoming Trump administration to facilitate emigration. "If we talk about it less, we can achieve more. In two years, Gaza could have less than half its current population, creating an entirely different reality," he said, describing voluntary emigration as a “game-changer” for Israeli control over Gaza and the West Bank.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Thursday he believed that Israel would finish the 14-month-old war in Gaza when it "achieves its objectives" of returning the hostages and ensuring Hamas no longer controls the Palestinian enclave.
Sa'ar said Israel did not intend to control civilian life in Gaza, adding that peace was "inevitable", but couldn't be based on "illusions."
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He also said that he believed that the United States would punish the ICC for having issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.
Israel has said it will appeal the ICC decision to move against Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza war.
But during a visit to the Czech Republic, Sa'ar said other countries were also dismayed by the decision, including the United States.
"I tend to believe that in Washington, legislation is going to take place very shortly against the ICC and whoever cooperates with it," Sa'ar told a joint press conference with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.