Huts are photographed along a beach near the Palestinian refugee camp of Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, on August 30, 2025. AFP archive photo/EYAD BABA
BEIRUT — On Monday, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir pledged to turn Gaza's beachfront into a settlement for police officers, against the backdrop of Israel's ground assault on Gaza City and mounting international condemnation of any plans of Israeli occupation of the enclave.
The far-right minister said he wants to build a neighborhood for police officers "on the beach" in Gaza. "The perfect place," he added in remarks made during an Israeli police conference.
"We will build a magnificent neighborhood for the police there, with tall buildings and modern design. With God's help, we will win," he said, addressing Police Commissioner Danny Levy, who took office last Aug. 25, to an applauding audience, according to the news site Middle East Eye.
“Settlement leads to security. The time has come for Jewish settlement, to encourage immigration, and to pass the death penalty law for terrorists. It is just, it is appropriate, it is moral, it is right,” Ben-Gvir added.
The Israeli minister has repeatedly called for the annexation of Gaza, which he says should be an integral part of the State of Israel. "I want all of Gaza, the transfer [of its population, Ed.] and settlement," he said last August.
On Monday, at another conference focused on implementing Israeli sovereignty in the occupied West Bank, he also referenced Gaza. According to Ben-Gvir, the objectives of the Gaza war are "very simple": "overthrow the Hamas regime. First, occupy, then settle, annex and encourage voluntary emigration. That is the way forward."
Since taking office, Ben-Gvir has faced accusations of politicizing the police and promoting an extremist agenda within the force.
On Monday night into Tuesday, the Israeli army launched a ground offensive on Gaza City, which was condemned by the international community.
On Wednesday, France called on the Israeli government to "put an end to this destructive campaign, which no longer has any military logic," said the foreign ministry in a statement. This offensive "is completely going in the wrong direction," said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
On Tuesday, United Nations investigators accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza in a bid to "destroy the Palestinians," blaming Israel's prime minister and other top officials for incitement.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lamented the lack of "serious negotiations" towards a cease-fire. "Right now, it appears that Israel is determined to go all the way and is not open to serious negotiations for a cease-fire," he told the press, denouncing a situation in Gaza that is "morally, politically, and legally intolerable."
For his part, Itamar Ben-Gvir commented on the start of the military campaign on X, Tuesday: "The time of annihilation has come. Gaza," followed by a "fire" emoji and a red cross.
