Nahala settlers to be removed from unauthorized outpost near Gaza border

Israeli police and the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) are preparing to evacuate an unauthorized outpost established by settlers from the Nahala movement in Simhoni Forest near the Gaza border. The outpost was set up in mid-October on KKL-JNF-managed land between Kibbutz Kfar Aza and Nahal Oz. Police surveyed the area on Tuesday to coordinate the evacuation, expected next week. Settlers said they would not resist but would relocate elsewhere near Gaza.

Israeli police and the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) are preparing to evacuate an unauthorized outpost established by settlers from the Nahala movement in Simhoni Forest, near the Gaza border. Police officers and KKL-JNF representatives surveyed the area on Tuesday to coordinate the evacuation, which is expected to take place next week. Police hope to reach an agreement with the settlers for voluntary removal but are prepared to use force if necessary, according to Ynet. The outpost was established in mid-October on land managed by KKL-JNF, between Kibbutz Kfar Aza and Nahal Oz. Settlers arrived at night, set up trailers, and declared the establishment of a new community as part of their effort to promote Jewish settlement in Gaza. They described the site as a temporary stop on the way to establishing a Jewish settlement inside Gaza and told Ynet they did not intend to resist the evacuation but planned to relocate elsewhere near the border. KKL-JNF is responsible for removing the structures, and the removal must take place within 30 days of the initial trespass. The IDF had previously blocked roads and declared the area a closed military zone. The Nahala movement and its founder Daniella Weiss have been labeled by the EU as an extremist settler movement responsible for serious human rights abuses, leading to asset freezes.