Over 10,000 participants in the March of the Thousands reached the area of the former community of Eli Sinai in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday evening, organizers said. Minister Nir Barkat and MKs Oshir Shkalim, Ariel Kalner, and Limor Son Har-Melech were present at the gathering, which called for the immediate re-establishment of Nisanit, Dugit, and Eli Sinai.
The March of the Thousands, organized by settlement activists, reached the site of the former community of Eli Sinai in the northern Gaza Strip by 19:00 Jerusalem time on Sunday evening, after beginning at 17:00 from the Yad Mordechai junction. Minister Nir Barkat and MKs Oshir Shkalim, Ariel Kalner, and Limor Son Har-Melech joined the gathering, which called for the immediate re-establishment of the communities of Nisanit, Dugit, and Eli Sinai, according to organizers.
The thread of reports on the march's attendance evolved significantly during the evening. Initial activist reports, published by The Zioneer at 18:37 Jerusalem, claimed thousands of participants. Shortly afterward, the same update carried a ynet report citing hundreds of participants — a figure lower than the activists' claims. By 18:37, the Nachala settlement movement and later organizers reported that over 10,000 marchers were present, a figure that was carried in subsequent updates alongside the participation of Minister Barkat and the MKs. The conflicting numbers reflect the tension between activist estimates and media accounts.
The march follows earlier calls amplified by The Zioneer: on July 8, settlement activists circulated a WhatsApp call for the march, and on July 15, Minister Itamar Ben Gvir publicly urged participation, as The Zioneer reported. The event is the largest demonstration in recent years demanding the return of Israeli settlement to the Gaza Strip.
The precise number of participants remains unverified by an independent count; the figure of over 10,000 is based solely on organizer statements. No official security assessment of the march's size has been released.
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Source and signal
- Internal intake