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Controversial Gaza Evacuation Scheme Lands Palestinians in South Africa, Raising Concerns of Ethnic Cleansing
Johannesburg, South Africa – A chartered flight carrying 153 Palestinians from Gaza landed near Johannesburg on Thursday, triggering a diplomatic scramble and raising serious questions about a controversial evacuation scheme allegedly linked to Israeli interests. South African officials were caught off guard by the arrival, as many passengers lacked proper travel documentation.
The flight was organized by an organization called “Al-Majd Europe,” which claims to coordinate evacuations from conflict zones. However, details surrounding the organization have fueled accusations that it is facilitating the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, effectively furthering Israel’s agenda of ethnic cleansing.
Passengers reportedly paid Al-Majd between $1,400 and $2,000 each to leave Gaza. Upon arrival in South Africa, authorities questioned the lack of exit stamps on their documents and uncertainty about their intended stay. The group was eventually allowed to disembark under the care of a local charity, Gift of the Givers.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed concern, stating that the incident “does seem like they were being flushed out” of Gaza. The country’s intelligence services have launched an investigation.
Further scrutiny of Al-Majd Europe reveals a website with inconsistencies and red flags. The site, registered only in February, lacks a physical address or verifiable contact information. Email inquiries bounce back, and payments were reportedly directed to personal bank accounts rather than organizational ones.
Adding to the suspicion, the website features “impact stories” with fabricated details, including the use of a photograph of a woman in Lebanon with incorrect details.
Loay Abu Saif, a passenger on the flight, told Al Jazeera that the process involved coordination with the Israeli army to transport passengers from Rafah to Israel’s Ramon Airport, where they boarded a flight that transited through Nairobi before reaching Johannesburg.
The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a warning about networks exploiting the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza to displace Palestinians, aligning with Israeli interests.
Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman has alleged that Al-Majd is a front organization for Israel, claiming that a similar flight carrying over 170 Palestinians arrived in South Africa in October without public announcement.
The Palestinian Embassy in South Africa condemned Al-Majd as a “misleading organization” that exploited vulnerable families and facilitated travel in an “irregular and irresponsible manner.”
The incident has ignited debate about the ethics of private evacuation initiatives and raised concerns about the potential for such schemes to be weaponized for political agendas.
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