Thousands of Israelis, including seven Cabinet ministers, took part in a march on Monday towards an evacuated settlement that was built on stolen Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. The march signaled the intent of Israel's most right-wing government in history to speed up the construction of settlements on occupied Palestinian lands, despite international opposition and the act being illegal under international law.

This mass rally added to the growing tensions in the region, fueled by disputes over a contested Jerusalem holy site. The unrest escalated further as Israeli forces killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy during an arrest raid in the occupied West Bank, and a 48-year-old Israeli woman died from injuries sustained in an attack that had already claimed the lives of two of her daughters.

The march occurred in the northern West Bank, an area that has witnessed repeated violence in recent months. With thousands of Israeli police and army forces reportedly securing the march, the already volatile atmosphere was intensified by the convergence of major Jewish and Muslim holy days. The tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have reached a peak in recent weeks, particularly around the Jerusalem shrine.

Led by hard-line ultranationalist Jewish settlers, the march headed towards Eviatar, an unauthorized settlement outpost in the northern West Bank that was evacuated by the previous Israeli government in 2021. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration is the most religious and ultranationalist in Israel's history.

Several Cabinet members, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, both West Bank settlers themselves, and at least 20 Knesset members participated in the march. This event has only exacerbated the plight of Palestinians who continue to lose their land and face increasing violence.

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