Israel settlement expansion plan has moved from closed-door cabinet decisions to public announcements, as two senior ministers unveiled sweeping projects in Gaza and the occupied West Bank just months before national elections. The move signals an accelerated push to create “facts on the ground” that critics say will make any future Palestinian state impossible.
With voting scheduled for 27 October, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition is racing to extend Israeli control. Defence and finance officials presented new outposts and massive funding on the same day, framing the measures as security while rights groups called it annexation by stealth.
Ministers Announce New Outposts And Funding Surge
Defence Minister Israel Katz told Channel 14 TV that he intends to establish three “Nahal” outposts in northern Gaza, on land where Israeli settlements once stood before 2005. “I intend to establish three Nahal outposts, which is also a military entity, in those places that were [Israeli settlements] in northern Gaza,” Katz said.
Nahal outposts have historically served as the first stage of civilian settlement. According to Dror Etkes, founder of Kerem Navot, “The military is only the first phase, which aims to prepare it for future settlement. All together, dozens of Israeli settlements in the West Bank were established in this way.”
At the same time, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced 1.3bn shekels, about £318m, for dozens of new Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israeli media reported the cabinet approved the money last month but withheld the announcement amid expected US opposition.
Maj Gen Avi Bluth, the military commander for the West Bank, went further in public support for extremist outposts. Speaking to the Farms Association, which represents settlements illegal even under Israeli law, he said he “appreciates their work” and considers them “security partners.” Bluth himself grew up in a West Bank settlement.
“Settler Violence Is State Violence,” UN Report Says
The timing of the announcements has drawn sharp condemnation. The UN human rights office for Palestine released a report this week stating, “Settler violence is state violence,” detailing how Israel uses settlers to lead annexation while granting impunity to attackers.
Hagit Ofran of Peace Now said the government is in a pre-election rush. “The government is on a reckless pre-election sprint to raid the public purse in order to create facts on the ground,” Ofran said. She added that bulldozers are already working on at least seven settlements intended to be populated before polling day.
Dozens of Israel’s former political and military leaders have threatened legal action over what they called state support for “Jewish terrorism” in the West Bank. They argue that empowering illegal outposts undermines Israeli law and security.
Palestinians in the West Bank say the impact is immediate. Farms have been torched, roads blocked, and families forced from villages by coordinated attacks from outposts that the military now calls partners.
Gaza Control And Rising Death Toll Raise Alarm
The expansion is not limited to the West Bank. Israel now controls 65% of Gaza, according to Deputy Chief of Staff Maj Gen Tamir Yadai, far beyond the 53% agreed in last year’s ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump.
In a briefing to Katz, Yadai described the situation as “victory.” He said, “I don’t know how to describe this, other than victory, when you control 65% of the territory, when you have killed over 70,000 terrorists here.”
That figure has provoked outrage. Palestinian health authorities maintain a database of more than 73,000 people killed, listed by name and Israeli-issued ID number. The list includes more than 21,000 children, more than 10,000 women under 60, and more than 5,000 elderly people. Israel’s military has acknowledged the database is broadly accurate but declined to comment on Yadai’s categorization.
The military said in a statement, “The IDF is currently conducting a staff assessment regarding the breakdown and categorisation of its casualties. The process has not yet been completed and has not been presented to the political echelon.”
About 2 million Palestinians who survived the war are now crowded into the remaining third of Gaza. Humanitarian agencies warn that further settlement plans in the north will displace more civilians into an already overwhelmed area.
Katz has also publicly advocated for large-scale migration of Palestinians out of Gaza. His description of the territory as a “wasteland of rubble” drew criticism from rights groups who called it open endorsement of ethnic cleansing.
Smotrich confirmed last month that plans for three settlements in Gaza are complete and awaiting a final green light from Netanyahu. The prime minister’s office did not respond to requests for comment on Katz’s latest announcement.
Analysts say the dual push in Gaza and the West Bank is designed to lock in territorial gains before an election that could bring political change. The strategy mirrors tactics used since the 1950s, when Nahal settlements were first placed on Israel’s borders, including around Gaza, and later expanded into the West Bank after 1967.
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For Palestinians, the result is a shrinking map. For Israel’s international partners, it is a direct challenge to diplomacy. For the Netanyahu coalition, it is a campaign message: control, expansion, and no concessions.
Israel settlement expansion plan will now be tested both at the ballot box and in courts, on the ground, and at the United Nations. Whether it cements Israeli control or deepens isolation remains the central question as October approaches.
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