US and Israeli officials said that the United States and Israel have contacted officials from three East African governments to discuss the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to these countries under a post-war plan proposed by US President Donald Trump.

These contacts, with Sudan, Somalia, and the breakaway Somali region known as Somaliland, reflect the determination of the United States and Israel to move forward with a plan that has been widely condemned and raises serious legal and moral issues.

Because these three countries are poor and, in some cases, plagued by violence, the proposal casts doubt on Trump's stated goal of displacing Gaza's Palestinians in a "beautiful area."

Sudanese officials said they rejected the overtures from the United States, while officials from Somalia and Somaliland said they were unaware of any contacts, the Associated Press reported Friday.

Under the Trump plan, Gaza's more than two million residents would be permanently displaced. Trump proposed that the United States take over administration of the Strip, oversee a long-term process of clearing the rubble left behind by Israel's genocidal war, and develop it as a real estate project.

The idea of a mass expulsion of Palestinians was previously considered a fantasy by Israel's ultranationalist movement. But since Trump raised the idea in a White House meeting last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed it as a "bold vision."

Palestinians in Gaza rejected the proposal, rejecting Israel's claims that it would be a "voluntary migration."

Arab countries expressed their strong opposition to the plan and offered an alternative reconstruction plan that would keep Palestinians in place.

Human rights organizations have said that forcing Palestinians to leave or pressuring them constitutes a war crime. However, the White House says Trump is "sticking to his vision."

US and Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a secret diplomatic initiative, confirmed contacts with Somalia and Somaliland, while the Americans also confirmed contacts with Sudan. They said it was unclear how far the efforts had progressed or the level of discussions.

Separate contacts between the United States and Israel regarding the three potential destinations began last month, days after Trump presented the Gaza plan alongside Netanyahu, according to US officials, who said Israel was leading the discussions.

Israel and the United States are offering a variety of incentives—financial, diplomatic, and security—that can be offered to these African countries. This is a formula Trump used five years ago when he brokered the Abraham Accords, a series of mutually beneficial diplomatic agreements between Israel and four Arab countries.

The White House declined to comment on the outreach efforts. The offices of Netanyahu and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, a close Netanyahu confidant who leads Israeli post-war planning, also declined to comment.