Before the marchers set out for Gaza's northern border on Saturday, the Israeli authorities made their position formal: the area was a closed military zone, and participants would be stopped [1].
The stopping did not happen. The Nachala settler group's 'March of Thousands' breached at least four IDF checkpoints with minimal resistance from the security forces manning them [1]. More than a hundred marchers reached the border area itself - some by the direct route, others by walking the dunes near Zikim Beach around the checkpoints entirely [1]. No arrests were reported [1].
The arithmetic of who marched explains the arithmetic of who enforced. By Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi's own count, 28 ministers and coalition lawmakers attended - among them Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Economy Minister Nir Barkat [1]. Karhi stated the purpose without euphemism, urging Israelis to 'settle in all the regions of land granted to our forefathers, including the Gaza region' [1].
The organizers' 'thousands' is their own count, and it should be attributed rather than adopted [1]. The count that requires no attribution is four checkpoints, zero arrests, and 28 members of a governing coalition marching toward territory their government's ceasefire - in force since October 10, 2025 - commits it to not resettling [1]. A closed military zone that opens for the cabinet is not a security measure; it is a preview [1].
