Netanyahu's Allies Push for Israeli Flag Raising Ceremony in Gaza

Jerusalem: Eleven Israeli ministers, including eight from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party, have urged the defence minister to authorise a flag-raising ceremony in the Gaza Strip on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. The ceremony is planned to take place at the ruins of the former Israeli settlement of Nissanit, which was dismantled in 2005.

In a letter published by the ultranationalist pro-settlement movement Nachala, which kickstarted the initiative, they said "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".

"We request an authorisation for this event, which is essentially intended to hoist the Israeli flag over the ruins of the town of Nissanit," the letter reads, referring to a former Israeli settlement in the northern Gaza Strip dismantled during Israel's withdrawal from the territory in 2005.

The letter was signed by several prominent Israeli politicians, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and eight ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party. Notably, Transport Minister Miri Regev, a close ally of Netanyahu, was among the signatories. Additionally, 21 members of the Knesset from Ben-Gvir's Jewish Power party and Likud also endorsed the letter.

The event is scheduled for December 18, the fifth night of Hanukkah, in an area of Gaza currently under Israeli army control. This move has sparked controversy, with some viewing it as an attempt to assert Israeli control over Gaza.