South Sudan has quietly agreed to take in Gaza residents who choose to leave the Strip, as part of a high-stakes, four-nation initiative involving Israel, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates — but deep internal resistance could derail the deal before it takes shape, The Telegraph reported Thursday.

A senior source in South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to the outlet that ministers had approved the proposal. Under the arrangement, the UAE would deliver badly needed economic aid to the cash-strapped nation, the U.S. would ease sanctions, and Israel would invest in health and education infrastructure.

“South Sudan has enough space to host people of different nationalities,” the official said. “This is also good for the South Sudanese people — to open a window to foreign business and bring growth to the economy.”

But the plan, which envisions voluntary relocation of Gazans, has not been announced publicly. The same source admitted that “opposition elsewhere” has kept the government from openly acknowledging its involvement.

“A deal like this will not be easy for South Sudanese to understand. We have a complex political situation,” the source cautioned.

That opposition was on full display in parliament, where lawmakers debated — and rejected — the proposal.

“I oppose it because South Sudan is a young country,” one legislator said. “We cannot even feed ourselves. How can we take in more people to live with us? In the next session we will reject it again. It is unacceptable.”

The Gaza relocation talks extend beyond South Sudan. A senior Israeli official told CNN that Somaliland, Ethiopia, Libya, and Indonesia have also been approached, but each is seeking “substantial economic and international compensation” in exchange for participation.

The Associated Press has previously reported that an Israeli delegation was preparing to visit South Sudan to discuss establishing camps for Palestinians — a claim the South Sudanese Foreign Ministry later dismissed as “unfounded” and “not reflective of our position or policy.”

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