Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says talks are underway with several countries about taking in Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza.

Egypt has condemned Israeli plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza, calling it a war crime and ethnic cleansing

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli gunfire killed at least 25 people seeking aid in Gaza on Wednesday, health officials and witnesses said, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will “allow” Palestinians to leave during an upcoming military offensive in some of the territory’s most populated areas.

Israel is in discussions with South Sudan about the possibility of resettling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to the war-torn East African country, part of a wider effort by Israel to facilitate mass emigration from the territory left in ruins by its 22-month offensive against Hamas.

Gaza residents will be provided with tents and other shelter equipment starting Sunday ahead of relocating them from combat zones to the south "to ensure their safety," the Israeli military said on Saturday.

President Donald Trump has said little about his idea of relocating much of the Gaza Strip’s population to other countries since he stunned the world by announcing it in February.

South Sudan is not in talks with Israel to resettle Palestinians from war-torn Gaza, South Sudan's foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Libya, South Sudan and Syria are among the countries Israel has spoken to in its effort to move hundreds of thousands from the enclave.

The plan would envisage people moving from an enclave shattered by almost two years of war with Israel to a nation in the heart of Africa riven by political and ethnically-driven violence.

Protestors in Israel demanding their government make a deal to secure the release of hostages held by militants in Gaza escalated their campaign on Sunday, staging a strike that snarled traffic and shuttered businesses.