Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to say directly whether he supports reestablishing Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, saying in a television interview Tuesday that he prefers “actions” to declarations.
During a wide-ranging interview on Channel 14’s “The Patriots,” Netanyahu was asked whether Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s recent claims that Israel has already drafted plans to establish three towns in northern Gaza were true.
Netanyahu did not give a yes-or-no answer, instead stating that he prefers “action” over “talk.”
“The big question is whether one should act or to talk,” Netanyahu said. “Sometimes you have to separate the two. Therefore, I will not say any more on the subject.”
Netanyahu has previously avoided fully endorsing a return to Gaza settlements, while insisting that Israel must maintain overriding security control after the war.
AFSI Insight
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s latest remarks suggesting that Jewish communities could one day return to Gaza mark a significant departure from the failed assumptions of the 2005 Disengagement. While he stopped short of announcing a formal policy, his refusal to rule out renewed Israeli settlement reflects a growing recognition that abandoning strategic territory brought Hamas to Israel’s doorstep—not peace. AFSI believes that any lasting solution for Gaza must ensure permanent Israeli security control, eliminate the terrorist infrastructure once and for all, and reject international pressure to recreate the conditions that enabled October 7. Today marks 1000 days since that horrendous massacre and 1000 days of war on 7 fronts. The completion of this war must leave Israel in the best possible situation. Gaza must have a different future; it must never again become a launching pad for jihadist terror against the Jewish State.
Source:
Netanyahu drops hints on Gaza resettlement plans, by David Rosenberg/World Israel News, July 1, 2026