Israel does not plan to forcibly evict or deport Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said, The Times of Israel reports.

“We do not plan to evict or deport anyone from the Gaza Strip,” Sa'ar said at a press conference in Ljubljana, where he opened Israel’s embassy.

At the same time, the minister noted that Israel would not prevent those who voluntarily decide to leave Gaza if a country willing to receive them is found.

“We will not force anyone against their will,” Sa'ar emphasized.

The statement came amid disagreements within the Israeli government over the possible resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had previously advocated measures intended to encourage residents of the enclave to leave the territory.

Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that plans to facilitate the mass emigration of Palestinians from Gaza remain under consideration. According to him, U.S. President Donald Trump had only “frozen” them, but they had not been definitively taken off the agenda.

“Ultimately, without this migration, there is no real solution for Gaza,” Katz said at the time.