AP report: Israel is in talks to possibly resettle Palestinians from Gaza in South Sudan
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Israel is in talks to possibly resettle Palestinians from Gaza in South Sudan
Israel is in discussions with South Sudan about the possibility of resettling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to the war-torn East African country. If implemented, the plans would amount to transferring people from one war-ravaged land at risk of famine to another. Such a deal could help South Sudan build closer ties to Israel, now the almost unchallenged military power in the Middle East. It is also a potential inroad to U.S. President Donald Trump, who broached the idea of resettleling Gaza’s population in February but appears to have backed away in recent months. Egypt is deeply opposed to plans to transfer Palestinians out of Gaza, with which it shares a border, fearing an influx of refugees into its own territory. The talks are part of a wider effort by Israel to facilitate mass emigration from the territory left in ruins by its 22-month offensive against Hamas, people familiar with the matter say. The Israeli delegation plans to visit the country to look into the possible of setting up camps for Palestinians there.
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel is in discussions with South Sudan about the possibility of resettling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to the war-torn East African country, part of a wider effort by Israel to facilitate mass emigration from the territory left in ruins by its 22-month offensive against Hamas.
Six people familiar with the matter confirmed the talks to The Associated Press. It’s unclear how far the talks have advanced, but if implemented, the plans would amount to transferring people from one war-ravaged land at risk of famine to another, and raise human rights concerns.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to realize U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision of relocating much of Gaza’s population through what Netanyahu refers to as “voluntary migration.” Israel has floated similar resettlement proposals with other African nations.
“I think that the right thing to do, even according to the laws of war as I know them, is to allow the population to leave, and then you go in with all your might against the enemy who remains there,” Netanyahu said Tuesday in an interview with i24, and Israeli TV station. He did not make reference to South Sudan.
Palestinians, rights groups, and much of the international community have rejected the proposals as a blueprint for forcible expulsion in violation of international law.
In the summer heat, Enaam Al Majdoub carries a jerrycan after collecting water from a distribution point Tuesday in Gaza City. AP
For South Sudan, such a deal could help it build closer ties to Israel, now the almost unchallenged military power in the Middle East. It is also a potential inroad to Trump, who broached the idea of resettling Gaza’s population in February but appears to have backed away in recent months.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment and South Sudan’s foreign minister did not respond to questions about the talks. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said it doesn’t comment on private diplomatic conversations.
Egypt opposes proposals to resettle Palestinians out of Gaza
Joe Szlavik, the founder of a U.S. lobbying firm working with South Sudan, said he was briefed by South Sudanese officials on the talks. He said an Israeli delegation plans to visit the country to look into the possibility of setting up camps for Palestinians there. No known date has been set for the visit. Israel did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of the visit.
Szlavik said Israel would likely pay for makeshift camps.
Edmund Yakani, who heads a South Sudanese civil society group, said he had also spoken to South Sudanese officials about the talks. Four additional officials with knowledge of the discussions confirmed talks were taking place on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly.
Two of the officials, both from Egypt, told AP they’ve known for months about Israel’s efforts to find a country to accept Palestinians, including its contact with South Sudan. They said they’ve been lobbying South Sudan against taking the Palestinians.
Egypt is deeply opposed to plans to transfer Palestinians out of Gaza, with which it shares a border, fearing an influx of refugees into its own territory.
The AP previously reported on similar talks initiated by Israel and the U.S. with Sudan and Somalia, countries that are also grappling with war and hunger, and the breakaway region of Somalia known as Somaliland. The status of those discussions is not known.
Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp Sunday along the beach in Gaza City. AP
‘Cash-strapped South Sudan needs any ally’
Szlavik, who’s been hired by South Sudan to improve its relations with the United States, said the U.S. is aware of the discussions with Israel but is not directly involved.
South Sudan wants the Trump administration to lift a travel ban on the country and remove sanctions from some South Sudanese elites, said Szlavik. It has already accepted eight individuals swept up in the administration’s mass deportations, in what may have been an effort to curry favor.
The Trump administration has pressured a number of countries to help facilitate deportations.
“Cash-strapped South Sudan needs any ally, financial gain and diplomatic security it can get,” said Peter Martell, a journalist and author of a book about the country, “First Raise a Flag.”
Israel’s Mossad spy agency provided aid to the South Sudanese during their decades-long civil war against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum ahead of independence in 2011, according to the book.
The State Department, asked if there was any quid pro quo with South Sudan, said decisions on the issuing of visas are made “in a way that prioritizes upholding the highest standards for U.S. national security, public safety, and the enforcement of our immigration laws.”
From one hunger-stricken conflict zone to another
Many Palestinians might want to leave Gaza, at least temporarily, to escape the war and a hunger crisis bordering on famine. But they have roundly rejected any permanent resettlement from what they see as an integral part of their national homeland.
They fear that Israel will never allow them to return, and that a mass departure would allow it to annex Gaza and reestablish Jewish settlements there, as called for by far-right ministers in the Israeli government.
Still, even those Palestinians who want to leave are unlikely to take their chances in South Sudan, among the world’s most unstable and conflict-ridden countries.
South Sudan has struggled to recover from a civil war that broke out after independence, and which killed nearly 400,000 people and plunged pockets of the country into famine. The oil-rich country is plagued by corruption and relies on international aid to help feed its 11 million people – a challenge that has only grown since the Trump administration made sweeping cuts to foreign assistance.
A peace deal reached seven years ago has been fragile and incomplete, and the threat of war returned when the main opposition leader was placed under house arrest this year.
Palestinians in particular could find themselves unwelcome. The long war for independence from Sudan pitted the mostly Christian and animist south against the predominantly Arab and Muslim north.
Yakani, of the civil society group, said South Sudanese would need to know who is coming and how long they plan to stay, or there could be hostilities due to the “historical issues with Muslims and Arabs.”
“South Sudan should not become a dumping ground for people,” he said. “And it should not accept to take people as negotiating chips to improve relations.”
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• Associated Press reporters Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Matthew Lee in Washington, D.C. and Samy Magdy in Cairo, Egypt, contributed
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Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Sudan’s famine worsens as civil war intensifies: ‘We have nothing to eat but animal feed’
At least 40 people have been killed by the Sudanese army in the past week. Over 14 million people, more than a quarter of the population, have been displaced by the conflict.
This week, at least 40 people have been killed by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces as fighting intensified in the Western Darfur region.
Over the last nearly 2.5 years, a brutal civil war between that paramilitary RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces has killed tens of thousands of people and created the largest hunger and displacement crisis in the world. Over 14 million people, more than a quarter of the population, have been displaced within and outside of Sudan, and the city El Fasher in Darfur faces famine and has for over a year.
Stephanie Sy brings us this update.
And a warning, Some of the images in this story may be disturbing.
Israel is in talks to possibly resettle Palestinians from Gaza in South Sudan
Israel is in discussions with South Sudan about the possibility of resettling Palestinians. If implemented, the plans would amount to transferring people from one war-ravaged land at risk of famine to another. Israel has floated similar resettlement proposals with other African nations. South Sudan wants the Trump administration to lift a travel ban on the country and remove sanctions from some South Sudanese elites, said a U.S. lobbying firm founder. It is also a potential inroad to Trump, who broached the idea of resettleling Gaza’s population in February but appears to have backed away in recent months. The talks are part of a wider effort by Israel to facilitate mass emigration from the territory left in ruins by its 22-month offensive against Hamas. The AP previously reported on similar talks initiated by Israel and the U.N. with Sudan and Somalia, countries that are also grappling with war and hunger, and the breakaway region of Somalia known as Somaliland. The status of those discussions is not known.
Six people familiar with the matter confirmed the talks to The Associated Press. It’s unclear how far the talks have advanced, but if implemented, the plans would amount to transferring people from one war-ravaged land at risk of famine to another, and raise human rights concerns.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to realize U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision of relocating much of Gaza’s population through what Netanyahu refers to as “voluntary migration.” Israel has floated similar resettlement proposals with other African nations.
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“I think that the right thing to do, even according to the laws of war as I know them, is to allow the population to leave, and then you go in with all your might against the enemy who remains there,” Netanyahu said Tuesday in an interview with i24, and Israeli TV station. He did not make reference to South Sudan.
Palestinians, rights groups, and much of the international community have rejected the proposals as a blueprint for forcible expulsion in violation of international law.
For South Sudan, such a deal could help it build closer ties to Israel, now the almost unchallenged military power in the Middle East. It is also a potential inroad to Trump, who broached the idea of resettling Gaza’s population in February but appears to have backed away in recent months.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment and South Sudan’s foreign minister did not respond to questions about the talks. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said it doesn’t comment on private diplomatic conversations.
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Egypt opposes proposals to resettle Palestinians out of Gaza
Joe Szlavik, the founder of a U.S. lobbying firm working with South Sudan, said he was briefed by South Sudanese officials on the talks. He said an Israeli delegation plans to visit the country to look into the possibility of setting up camps for Palestinians there. No known date has been set for the visit. Israel did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of the visit.
Szlavik said Israel would likely pay for makeshift camps.
Edmund Yakani, who heads a South Sudanese civil society group, said he had also spoken to South Sudanese officials about the talks. Four additional officials with knowledge of the discussions confirmed talks were taking place on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly.
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Two of the officials, both from Egypt, told AP they’ve known for months about Israel’s efforts to find a country to accept Palestinians, including its contact with South Sudan. They said they’ve been lobbying South Sudan against taking the Palestinians.
Egypt is deeply opposed to plans to transfer Palestinians out of Gaza, with which it shares a border, fearing an influx of refugees into its own territory.
The AP previously reported on similar talks initiated by Israel and the U.S. with Sudan and Somalia, countries that are also grappling with war and hunger, and the breakaway region of Somalia known as Somaliland. The status of those discussions is not known.
‘Cash-strapped South Sudan needs any ally’
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Szlavik, who’s been hired by South Sudan to improve its relations with the United States, said the U.S. is aware of the discussions with Israel but is not directly involved.
South Sudan wants the Trump administration to lift a travel ban on the country and remove sanctions from some South Sudanese elites, said Szlavik. It has already accepted eight individuals swept up in the administration’s mass deportations, in what may have been an effort to curry favor.
The Trump administration has pressured a number of countries to help facilitate deportations.
“Cash-strapped South Sudan needs any ally, financial gain and diplomatic security it can get,” said Peter Martell, a journalist and author of a book about the country, “First Raise a Flag.”
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Israel’s Mossad spy agency provided aid to the South Sudanese during their decades-long civil war against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum ahead of independence in 2011, according to the book.
The State Department, asked if there was any quid pro quo with South Sudan, said decisions on the issuing of visas are made “in a way that prioritizes upholding the highest standards for U.S. national security, public safety, and the enforcement of our immigration laws.”
From one hunger-stricken conflict zone to another
Many Palestinians might want to leave Gaza, at least temporarily, to escape the war and a hunger crisis bordering on famine. But they have roundly rejected any permanent resettlement from what they see as an integral part of their national homeland.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
They fear that Israel will never allow them to return, and that a mass departure would allow it to annex Gaza and reestablish Jewish settlements there, as called for by far-right ministers in the Israeli government.
Still, even those Palestinians who want to leave are unlikely to take their chances in South Sudan, among the world’s most unstable and conflict-ridden countries.
South Sudan has struggled to recover from a civil war that broke out after independence, and which killed nearly 400,000 people and plunged pockets of the country into famine. The oil-rich country is plagued by corruption and relies on international aid to help feed its 11 million people – a challenge that has only grown since the Trump administration made sweeping cuts to foreign assistance.
A peace deal reached seven years ago has been fragile and incomplete, and the threat of war returned when the main opposition leader was placed under house arrest this year.
Advertisement Advertisement
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Palestinians in particular could find themselves unwelcome. The long war for independence from Sudan pitted the mostly Christian and animist south against the predominantly Arab and Muslim north.
Yakani, of the civil society group, said South Sudanese would need to know who is coming and how long they plan to stay, or there could be hostilities due to the “historical issues with Muslims and Arabs.”
“South Sudan should not become a dumping ground for people,” he said. “And it should not accept to take people as negotiating chips to improve relations.”
___
Associated Press reporters Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Matthew Lee in Washington, D.C. and Samy Magdy in Cairo, Egypt, contributed
___
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Strikes kill 94 Palestinians in Gaza, including 45 people waiting for aid, authorities say
At least 13 people, including six children, were killed in a strike on a tent camp in southern Gaza. Another 40 were killed waiting for U.N. aid in several locations around Gaza. The Israeli military says it fires on crowds of Palestinians trying to reach the aid sites. The U.S. and the European Union have accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. It says Israel has cut off more than 2.5 million people from food aid since the start of the Gaza war in June. The Israelis say they are trying to protect civilians from the dangers posed by Hamas, which they call a terrorist group. The United Nations says it is working with Israel to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The UN says it has delivered the equivalent of more than 52 million meals since the war began. It also says the Israeli government has agreed to take back control of some of the land it lost in the conflict to make way for the U.K.-led peace talks. The EU says the cease-fire should be extended until the end of the year.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli airstrikes and shootings killed 94 Palestinians in Gaza late Wednesday and Thursday, including 45 who were attempting to get much-needed humanitarian aid, hospitals and the Health Ministry said Thursday.
Families wept over the bodies from a strike that hit a tent camp during the night as displaced people slept in southern Gaza. At least 13 members of a single family were killed, including at least six children under 12.
“My children, my children … my beloved,” wailed Intisar Abu Assi, sobbing over the bodies of her son and daughters and their young children. Another woman kissed the forehead of a dead little girl wrapped in a blanket on the floor of the morgue at Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis.
In central Gaza, a boy stroked the face of his dead sister, 6-year-old Heba Abu Etiwi, in a morgue at Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital. The girl and another of her brothers were among eight people killed when a strike Wednesday evening hit near a stand selling falafel.
A separate strike on a school in Gaza City sheltering displaced people also killed 15 people.
The toll from strikes emerged as more Palestinians were killed in near-daily shootings while trying to obtain aid.
Five were killed on the roads leading to food-distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the newly created, secretive American organization backed by Israel to feed the Gaza Strip’s population. Another 40 were killed while waiting for trucks carrying U.N. aid in several locations around Gaza, according to hospital officials.
Witnesses have said Israeli troops regularly unleash barrages on crowds of Palestinians trying to reach the GHF sites. Witnesses have also reported troops opening fire when crowds of people mass near military-run zones of Gaza, waiting for U.N. trucks to enter.
More than 500 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded since the food-distribution sites opened in May.
The Israeli military, whose forces are deployed on the roads leading to the sites, says it fires warning shots to control crowds or at Palestinians who approach its troops. Armed U.S. contractors guard the sites.
Amnesty says Israel using starvation as a weapon
Amnesty International on Thursday issued a report saying Israel was continuing to “use starvation of civilians as a weapon of war … as part of its ongoing genocide.”
It said the GHF distribution system appeared intended only to “placate international concerns” even as Israel allows in only a small amount of food for the U.N. to distribute separately.
“By maintaining a deadly, dehumanizing and ineffective militarized ‘aid’ scheme, Israeli authorities have turned aid-seeking into a booby trap for desperate starved Palestinians,” it said.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry denounced the Amnesty report, saying the organization has “joined forces with Hamas and fully adopted all of its propaganda lies.”
Israel has rejected allegations it is committing genocide in Gaza in the war with Hamas, and it is challenging the accusation filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice.
Amnesty accused Israel last year of committing genocide, saying it has sought to deliberately destroy Palestinians by mounting deadly attacks, demolishing vital infrastructure and preventing the delivery of food, medicine and other aid.
Israel intends for GHF to replace the U.N. humanitarian network, which has delivered massive amounts of aid to Palestinians throughout the war. Israel contends that Hamas siphons off large amounts of aid from that system, a claim that the U.N. and aid groups deny. They have rejected GHF, saying it cannot deliver enough aid, endangers Palestinians and is being used by Israel to carry out its war goals. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.
Israel cut off all food and other supplies to Gaza for more 2 ½ months this year, driving its population toward famine, in what it said was a move to push Hamas to make concessions in negotiations and release hostages.
It eased the blockade in March. The Foreign Ministry and COGAT, the Israeli defense body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, said Wednesday that Israel has facilitated the entry of over 3,000 aid trucks into the Gaza Strip since May 19.
That amounts to around 28 trucks a day, a fraction of the hundreds of trucks a day aid workers say are needed.
In a statement Tuesday, GHF rejected criticism of its operations and said it has delivered the equivalent of more than 52 million meals. GHF distributes boxes of food staples such as lentils and rice, saying one box holds the equivalent of more than 50 meals.
Witnesses have reported scenes of chaos at GHF sites as desperate crowds race to pick up food boxes, with some taking more than one while many others go empty-handed. Much of the food is sold in markets at astronomical prices.
Work continues on elusive ceasefire
The Gaza Health Ministry said the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has passed 57,000 since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its death count but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
The deaths come as Israel and Hamas inch closer to a possible ceasefire that would end the 21-month war.
Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. Hamas’ response emphasized its demand that the truce lead to an end to the war.
The Israeli military blames Hamas for the civilian casualties because it operates from populated areas. The military said it targeted Hamas fighters and rocket launchers in northern Gaza that fired toward Israel on Wednesday.
The war began when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.
The war has left the coastal Palestinian territory in ruins, with much of the urban landscape flattened in the fighting. More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been displaced, often multiple times.
Chehayeb reported from Beirut.