Minister Struck Reveals Netanyahu Considered Then Rejected Prayer Inside Gaza Strip

During an event marking 21 years since the burning of synagogues in the Gush Katif settlement bloc, Minister of Settlement Orit Struck disclosed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seriously considered a request to hold the traditional Hoshana Rabbah prayer inside the Gaza Strip but ultimately declined it. The request was submitted about two weeks prior, following a Security Cabinet meeting, in a letter signed by 20 senior rabbis from the Religious Zionist community. These rabbis sought to conduct the prayer within Gaza as a symbolic act, emphasizing that Gaza remains part of the Land of Israel and expressing a desire to remember the expulsion of Jewish communities from the area.

Struck read from the rabbis' letter, which framed the day of Hoshana Rabbah not only as a fast and prayer day but as a reminder of the "disgrace in the Land of Israel" and a declaration that "Gaza is ours." She stressed that Israel will not forget or allow others to forget that Gaza belongs solely to the Jewish people and expressed hope for renewed settlement in the region. Struck described the current period as a "national repentance process" and indicated plans to reclaim lands abandoned in the past, citing efforts in northern Samaria as a precedent.

The event took place at Migdal Kisufim, near the Gaza border, and was organized by the Gush Katif Residents Headquarters and Professor Yoel Elitzur, with participation from rabbis and public figures. Struck's revelation highlights ongoing debates within Israeli leadership about the future of Gaza and the symbolic importance of religious and national claims to the territory.