Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, suggested that Gaza could be emptied of half its population within two years through “voluntary” migration. Speaking at a meeting of the Yesha Council, Smotrich advocated for the occupation of Gaza, stating, “We don’t need to be scared of this word [occupation]. ” His proposal included using Gaza’s emptying as a model for the West Bank. Smotrich’s comments come amid Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has seen over 44,000 Palestinians killed and large-scale destruction of infrastructure.