Gaza-South Africa Airlift: Mystery Flights Spark Probe

A bizarre and still-unexplained airlift operation has flown at least 400 Gazans to South Africa in recent months on charter flights with no exit stamps, no clear destination, and payments made in cryptocurrency, sparking a global media storm and raising serious questions about who is organizing and funding the evacuations.

The latest incident occurred last Thursday when a Romanian-registered charter jet carrying 153 Palestinians landed unexpectedly in Johannesburg. Passengers told reporters they had been instructed to gather at a fish restaurant in Rafah, were bused through Israeli territory to Ramon Airport in southern Israel, and flown out, many believing they were headed to India, Canada, or Australia. Some held tickets for those countries; none knew South Africa was the final stop.

Upon landing, South African authorities held the plane on the tarmac for hours, interrogating passengers who arrived without passports stamped by Israel or any other country. A similar flight with over 170 Gazans landed quietly at the end of October; a third took place earlier.

The shadowy organizer

Investigations by The Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera, Haaretz, and others point to an almost unknown group calling itself “Al-Majd Europe,” which claims to be a German- and East Jerusalem-based charity helping Palestinians leave Gaza voluntarily.

Yet Al-Majd has no registered offices, no phone number, and its website (registered only in February 2025) accepts donations solely in Tether cryptocurrency. Its social media accounts are nearly empty. Passengers say they paid $1,400–$5,000 per person (including infants) after responding to ads on Gaza social media and joining WhatsApp groups.

The Israeli connection

Reports indicate the flights were coordinated with Israel’s newly created Voluntary Emigration Administration in the Defense Ministry (set up in early 2025 at the initiative of Defense Minister Israel Katz, partly inspired by President Trump’s Gaza proposals). Passengers underwent Israeli security screening and were transported through Israeli territory to Ramon Airport.

Haaretz revealed that Al-Majd is linked to an Israeli-Estonian businessman, Tomer Yanar Lind, whose company Talent Globus is registered in the Emirates and Qatar.

Al-Majd responds

In a lengthy statement Tuesday, the group denied any ties to Israeli intelligence, accused the Palestinian Authority of deliberately blocking Gazans from leaving to use them as “political leverage,” and insisted it is run by former refugees helping people escape Hamas rule and war.South African authorities eventually admitted most passengers on humanitarian grounds.

The affair has fueled intense debate: humanitarian lifeline or covert population transfer operation? Investigations continue.