‘Gaza needs Jewish settlements to stop two million Nazis’: Israeli finance minister

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Sunday night in an interview on Channel 14, "a Jewish settlement should be established in the territory of the Gaza Strip".

According to Smotrich, "Israel must control Gaza for a long time, and it will not control it without a civilian presence, period. Look at why Jenin and Tulkarm have become the capitals of terrorism – because there is no Jewish settlement there, period.

“There needs to be a Jewish presence there for a long time, so that terrorism does not develop there, because if we won't be there, there will be two million Nazis who want to destroy us every morning. We will not exist, period. We will wake up in ten years or 15 years to a new October 7," he added. 

Settlements by an occupying force are illegal under international law.