Israel’s far-right Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich said Tuesday that a victory for Israel in Gaza would mean the Palestinian territory being “entirely destroyed” before its inhabitants depart for other countries.

“Gaza will be entirely destroyed, civilians will be sent to… the south to a humanitarian zone without Hamas or terrorism, and from there they will start to leave in great numbers to third countries,” the firebrand top official said at a conference on Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel’s plan to seize control of the Gaza Strip has sparked renewed fears, but for many of the territory’s residents, the most immediate existential threat remains the specter of famine amid a months-long Israeli blockade on all goods entering the enclave, which is home to more than 2 million people.

The plan to expand military operations, approved by Israel’s security cabinet late Sunday night, includes holding territories in the besieged Gaza Strip and moving the population south “for their protection,” according to Israeli officials.

But Gaza residents told the AFP news agency that they did not expect the new offensive would make any significant changes to the already dire humanitarian situation in the small coastal territory.