Mysterious process of airlifting Gazans, 3 countries exposed

A Palestinian who was recently forced to leave Gaza illegally through a mysterious organization has exposed the process of airlifting people from war-torn Gaza to South Africa and other countries through a mysterious organization. He alleges that Israel directly supports it. The man, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Al Jazeera that the operation is being run by a secret organization called ‘Al-Majd Europe’, and that it has ‘close coordination’ with the Israeli army.

The man said that he and his family were first taken by Israeli soldiers to Ramon Airport via the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem) crossing in southern Gaza. Israel did not stamp any passports there because it does not recognize the Palestinian state.

From there, a Romanian-flagged plane took them to Kenya, which was a transit point. He claims that Al-Majd Europe also has coordination with Kenya.

He said that none of the passengers knew their destination. At least three people inside Gaza and several others, including Palestinian citizens close to Israel, operated the entire network from outside.

First, they were ordered to register online, then register their births, then deposit cash. The man said that he paid a total of $6,000 for himself and two family members. The money had to be deposited into a personal bank account, not in the name of an organization.

Earlier, in June, a group was sent from Gaza to Indonesia. In August, preparations were underway to take another group to an unknown destination, but later it was delayed. Of the 153 Palestinians who arrived in South Africa last Friday, each paid between $1,500 and $5,000. They were allowed to take only a phone, some cash and a backpack.

The identity of Al-Majd Europe has raised many questions. The group claims to have been founded in Germany in 2010, but its website was registered this year. Many of the photos of the group’s representatives there are created using artificial intelligence (AI). There is no reliable contact address. The office address is listed as the Sheikh Jarrah area of ​​East Jerusalem, which is under Israeli control.

Another Palestinian, who identified himself as Omar, said he sent his birth certificate and passport information to the group. He was told he would first have to pay a $2,500 down payment. He was later told that single passengers were not accepted; his application was rejected.

Hind Khoudari, Al Jazeera’s journalist from Az-Zawaida in central Gaza, said that many people are choosing such illegal routes as survival in Gaza has become difficult. Two years of war and a brutal campaign have made life in Gaza uncomfortable. The education system has collapsed, and people’s fears about the future have increased, she said.

The Israeli military has admitted that it is helping Palestinians in Gaza to "voluntarily leave" and that people are being allowed to leave through informal channels such as Al-Majd Europe. The policy, supported by Israel and the United States, aims to permanently remove people from Gaza.

Israel also formed a special unit in March of this year to implement this goal, after approval by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet.