Satellite images taken between April and September 2026 showed the construction and expansion of three new Israeli settlements in the West Bank: Gad Natan, Makda and Mitzuke Eretz. They are among a group of settlements approved by the Israeli government in February and April of the same year.
Construction of Gad Natan and Makda south of Hebron
A comparison of the images revealed construction work at the Gad Natan and Makda settlements, located south and south-east of Hebron. Gad Natan lies within the so-called Gush Etzion Regional Council and is expected to become the council’s southernmost settlement, forming part of its expansion towards Hebron. On 31 August 2026, Israel officially announced the opening of Makda and the arrival of the first settler families.
The settlement is located near Adora, within the area of the so-called South Hebron Hills Regional Council. During the same period, the images recorded the construction of Mitzuke Eretz along Alon Road, also known as Route 458, in the East Binyamin area.
Inauguration of Mitzuke Eretz east of Binyamin
On 23 September 2026, Israel announced the inauguration of the settlement under the so-called Binyamin Regional Council in the central West Bank. Mitzuke Eretz overlooks the Jordan Valley, the Yitav Valley and Route 449. The site was established about three years ago as a farm, before its status was later formalised under a framework that Israeli authorities call the “Settlement Revolution”.
The three settlements are part of a broader expansion after the Israeli government approved a plan in March 2026 to build 34 new settlements. Israeli reports indicate a wider plan to establish 104 settlements by converting existing outposts into settlements with official status.
Following the decision, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the security cabinet had approved a budget of 1.3 billion shekels, or approximately 434 million US dollars, to establish 34 new settlements in the West Bank. An analysis of satellite images concluded that settlements covered by the approvals or construction plans are located within or around areas widely viewed as essential to the establishment of a potential Palestinian state.
The analysis said these sites were classified as Area A, subject to the Palestinian National Authority’s civil and security control. It also showed that some settlements that had received government approval or been included in construction plans were located less than one kilometre from Palestinian villages.
They include the Noa settlement in Jenin in the northern West Bank, which is linked by a road to the Emek Dotan settlement, as part of a wider plan to connect settlements through roads and infrastructure. United Nations bodies, Palestinians and most countries around the world consider Israeli settlements illegal under international agreements. About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
