The move, if confirmed, would form part of Israel’s wider strategy to facilitate mass emigration from Gaza, a territory devastated by nearly two years of conflict.
Joe Szlavik, founder of a U.S.-based lobbying firm that works with South Sudan, said he was briefed by Juba officials on the talks.
He revealed that an Israeli delegation is expected to visit South Sudan to assess the feasibility of establishing temporary camps for Palestinian arrivals, although no specific date for the visit has been set. Szlavik added that Israel would likely cover the costs of building and operating the camps.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on the reported plans. Four additional officials — including South Sudanese and foreign diplomats — confirmed the discussions on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter. Two Egyptian officials told AP they have been aware of Israel’s outreach to South Sudan for months and have actively lobbied Juba against accepting Palestinians.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), said he had also engaged with South Sudanese authorities about the talks, calling for transparency and a careful assessment of the humanitarian, legal, and security implications.
If implemented, the plan would have significant implications under both domestic and international humanitarian law. South Sudan, a party to several international human rights treaties, would be obliged to ensure that any relocation does not violate the principle of non-refoulement — which prohibits the transfer of individuals to a territory where they could face persecution, torture, or other serious harm.
Legal experts note that while countries can accept refugees or displaced persons on humanitarian grounds, international law does not permit forced transfers or mass relocations that bypass voluntary consent and adequate safeguards.
“Any such arrangement must be coordinated with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and comply with the 1951 Refugee Convention,” one legal analyst told this publication on condition of anonymity.
The reported discussions come as South Sudan has recently opened its doors to a small number of foreign nationals for humanitarian and diplomatic purposes, including the reception of certain U.S. citizens under bilateral cooperation programs. However, large-scale third-country resettlement of conflict-affected populations would mark a significant shift in Juba’s migration and refugee policy.
South Sudan is already host to nearly one million refugees, primarily from Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and has struggled with resource shortages and internal displacement caused by its civil conflicts.
Analysts warn that any agreement to host Palestinians from Gaza would require careful planning, international financial support, and security guarantees to avoid worsening domestic instability or breaching humanitarian norms.
Juba and Jerusalem have yet to issue official statements confirming the talks. But AP quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as having said, “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.”
