The Minister of Finance in the Israeli government, Bezalel Smotrich, called on Saturday to encourage “voluntary immigration” for residents of the Gaza Strip, and to find countries willing to receive them.

Smotrich said, in an interview with the private Hebrew Channel 12: “Gaza will not be a breeding ground for two million people who want to destroy the State of Israel. We want to encourage voluntary immigration.”

The right-wing minister, who leads the extremist "Jewish Home" party, continued: "We must find countries that are willing to receive the residents of Gaza, and this must be through the State of Israel."

Smotrich expressed his refusal for the Palestinian Authority to take control of the Gaza Strip, saying: “They will rule there just as Hamas rules.”

He added: "I support a complete change in the reality in Gaza, by holding a discussion about the settlements there."

He added: "We will have to rule there for a long time. We have to return to Gaza," referring to his support for re-settlement in the Strip.

Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, evacuating 21 settlements as part of a plan called the “Unilateral Disengagement Plan,” implemented by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.