Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel traveled Wednesday to South Sudan and met with President Salva Kiir following reports that emerged a day earlier suggesting Israel was negotiating the possibility of resettling residents of the Gaza Strip there.

The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that Israel had contacted South Sudan to explore such a possibility, stressing that it was unclear how advanced talks between the two countries were. 

Israel's Foreign Ministry declined to confirm to Al-Monitor whether the issue was raised during Haskel's talks in Juba. South Sudan's Foreign Ministry denied the reports Tuesday evening, stating that it “firmly refutes” holding any such talks with Israel, calling the reports “baseless” and insisting they do not reflect the policies of South Sudan.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously expressed support for President Donald Trump’s plan last February to encourage “voluntary immigration” of Gazans to other countries, a plan rejected by the Palestinians and the Arab world. Trump said at the time that the United States would oversee control and rehabilitation of the Strip, aiming to turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” while noting that, in his opinion, the area was currently uninhabitable and Gazans should be relocated. Trump also suggested that Jordan and Egypt could be among the countries welcoming Gaza refugees, a proposal firmly rejected by both nations.