The Ad That Sparked Controversy: “A Beachfront Home in Gaza”

Harey Zahav published an ad claiming, “Our workers have begun clearing debris and evicting squatters,” in preparation for building “Neve Katif” in the Gaza Strip. Online backlash erupted over “promoting beachfront homes over the bodies of dead children,” but the company’s owner clarifies: “It’s somewhere between a joke and wishful thinking”

As the war in Gaza rages on, with IDF forces engaged in combat from air and ground and some hostages still awaiting rescue, some are already thinking about the future—about rebuilding and resettling the Gaza Strip.

A social media ad from the construction company Harey Zahav, which operates in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley, announced the “preparation of land for the return to Gush Katif.”

The ad, titled “Wake Up—A Beachfront Home Is No Longer Just a Dream”, stated that “some of our workers have begun improving the land, clearing debris, and evicting squatters.” The ad even listed names of proposed future settlements reminiscent of the communities evacuated in 2005, such as Ma’ale Atzmona, Morag HaTze’ira, and Neve Katif.

Unsurprisingly, the post sparked interest in Israel and a major uproar in the Arab world. The Twitter account Times of Gaza accused the company of “promoting settlements over Gaza’s ruins after ethnic cleansing.”