Somalia and its breakaway region, Somaliland, have denied receiving any proposals from the United States or Israel regarding the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza, with Somalia’s foreign ministry firmly rejecting such a move.
According to recent reports, officials in Sudan also claimed to have rejected overtures from the U.S., while representatives from Somalia and Somaliland stated they were unaware of any contact on the matter.
The Associated Press reported on Friday that U.S. and Israeli officials had acknowledged reaching out to Sudan, Somalia, and Somaliland to discuss the possibility of using their territories for resettling Palestinians displaced by the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip.
A confidential diplomatic source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that both the U.S. and Israel had made contact with officials from Somalia and Somaliland. While U.S. representatives also confirmed outreach to Sudan, they noted that the level of progress in these discussions remains unclear.
This diplomatic initiative follows comments made over a month ago by U.S. President Donald Trump, who proposed forcibly displacing Palestinians and taking control of the Gaza Strip. The suggestion was quickly rejected by Palestinian leaders and many Middle Eastern nations, who condemned it as a form of ethnic cleansing.
In parallel, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a vocal advocate of what he calls the “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians, announced this week that Israel is working to identify countries willing to accept Palestinian emigrants. Smotrich further revealed that Israel is planning to create a “large emigration department” within its Ministry of Defense to oversee and facilitate this process.
