Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich isn't hiding his ultimate plans for Gaza anymore. He doesn't want a buffer zone, he doesn't want a temporary military occupation, and he certainly doesn't want an international peacekeeping force running the show.
He wants to rebuild Jewish settlements right inside the enclave.
During a June 29, 2026, ceremony at Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha near the Gaza border, Smotrich announced that his Defense Ministry Settlement Administration has finished the blueprint to build three new Israeli settlements in northern Gaza. The plans are locked, loaded, and sitting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's desk. They just need a signature to move forward.
This isn't just standard political theater. It's a calculated challenge to the entire post-war framework, exposing the massive fracture inside Israeli politics and drawing instant fury from the families of October 7 victims.
The Strategy Behind the Three Settlements
Smotrich argues that security only exists where civilian roots are planted. "Where there is no settlement, there is no security," he claimed during his speech. In his view, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) must push past the roughly 70 percent of Gaza territory they control and completely seize the rest.
The planned communities in northern Gaza are designed to act as a permanent security belt, shielding southern Israeli towns like Sderot from future incursions. Smotrich wants a complete military government. He wants total control.
But his timing couldn't be worse for a country trying to heal.
While Smotrich talked about his grand vision for northern Gaza, the crowd wasn't having it. Eyal Eshel, the father of Roni Eshel, a military surveillance soldier killed on October 7, stood up and heckled the minister directly from the audience.
"Get off the stage — you aren't fit to be here," Eshel shouted. "You should resign."
Outside the venue, dozens of residents protested. The anger boiled over so intensely that Smotrich had to cancel a scheduled visit to nearby Kibbutz Be'eri. People are furious, and it's not hard to see why. Just a day earlier, Smotrich went on a podcast and took personal credit for the return of the hostages, despite consistently voting against multiple ceasefire and hostage exchange deals over the course of the two-year war.
The Collision with the Trump Peace Plan
Smotrich's demands put him on a direct collision course with the United States.
Under the ceasefire framework and the broader peace plan pushed by US President Donald Trump, the permanent occupation or annexation of Gaza is strictly forbidden. The US blueprint relies on a 20,000-strong International Stabilization Force (ISF) to handle security while a committee of Palestinian technocrats prepares to take over governance.
Smotrich thinks that plan is a fantasy.
Earlier this year, he brushed off reports that countries like Indonesia were preparing to send thousands of troops to join the international force. He openly predicts that international peacekeepers will fold the second things get rough, leaving a vacuum that only the IDF can fill.
The far-right faction in Israel is banking on an ultimatum. They believe that if Hamas refuses complete disarmament, Israel will get a green light from Washington to launch a full-scale re-invasion. But right now, the White House strongly opposes any new offensive or settlement construction in Gaza, meaning Netanyahu is caught in a vice between his vital international ally and the coalition partners keeping him in power.
What Happens Next
The groundwork for the settlements is done, but the political reality is messy. Netanyahu hasn't approved the plans, and doing so would trigger a massive diplomatic crisis.
If you want to understand where this conflict goes next, keep your eyes on two specific spaces. First, watch the cabinet votes regarding the funding of the Defense Ministry Settlement Administration, which shows how much cash is actually being funneled to these blueprints. Second, monitor whether the committee of Palestinian technocrats is allowed to enter Gaza to begin governance, or if they remain stuck holding workshops outside the strip. Those two indicators will tell you who is actually winning the battle for Gaza's future.
