A suspicious organization behind the relocation of Palestinians to South Africa
Hebrew newspapers report that the Al-Majd organization, based in Jerusalem, is responsible for transferring more than 150 Palestinians from Gaza to South Africa without official documents, under Israeli supervision.
Hebrew newspapers revealed on Saturday the circumstances of the arrival of dozens of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip at a South African airport without official documents, stating that an organization called “Al-Majd” was responsible.
On Friday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in press statements that he had ordered an investigation into the arrival of an aircraft carrying dozens of Palestinians from Gaza without official documents. He added that he instructed authorities to welcome them and not send them back.
According to the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth (centre-right), “an organization called Al-Majd, based in Jerusalem, was responsible for transferring more than 150 Palestinians from the Strip”.
The newspaper reports that this organization, established in 2010, works to move Palestinians out of Gaza under the pretext of “assistance”, and claims to support Muslim communities in conflict zones. However, its website contains no phone numbers or addresses, and its list of partners is empty despite its claim to cooperate with 15 international bodies, accompanied by a note stating “details will be published soon”.
Regarding the details of the transfer to South Africa, the newspaper quoted an unnamed Israeli military official who said that the Al-Majd organization was responsible for facilitating the departure of more than 150 Palestinians.
He added that “Israel escorted the buses carrying the travelers from a meeting point in Gaza (not specified) to the Kerem Shalom crossing, controlled by Israel, from where other buses transported them to Ramon Airport in southern Israel, from which the aircraft departed”.
The newspaper added that the secrecy surrounding the flight raised concerns among human rights organizations, which warned that it could be part of an Israeli effort to push Palestinians out of Gaza.
The newspaper also quoted Ghassan Alian, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, who said that the Palestinians left Gaza after Israel obtained permission from a third country to receive them, without naming it.
Approximately 40 000 Palestinians have left the Strip since the beginning of the Israeli war on 8 October 2023.
For its part, the Palestinian Embassy in South Africa stated that the trip was organized by an “unregistered and misleading organization that exploited the suffering of Gaza”.
In a statement issued Friday, the embassy said: “The organization exploited the tragic conditions of our people in Gaza, deceived families, collected money, and arranged their travel irresponsibly. When complications arose, it abandoned them.”
On Thursday, the newspaper Haaretz (liberal) reported that the group, which included families and young children, left Gaza on Wednesday morning through the Kerem Shalom crossing after Israeli inspection, and was then transported by bus to Ramon Airport.
They then boarded a chartered flight to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, followed by another chartered flight that landed in Johannesburg.
Although Israel has issued no official comment, Haaretz reported that before the ceasefire agreement came into effect on 10 October, an Israeli security source said that the political leadership had decided to facilitate the departure of Palestinians from Gaza by easing security criteria.
Israeli government ministers have repeatedly mentioned the idea of pushing Palestinians out of Gaza as part of the ongoing war over the past two years.
It is worth noting that at the end of 2023, South Africa filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of committing genocide in Gaza.
On 10 October, a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel came into effect, ending a military campaign that caused more than 69 000 Palestinian deaths, over 170 000 injuries, and massive destruction affecting 90 percent of civilian infrastructure, with estimated losses of around 70 billion dollars.
