An Associated Press investigation has revealed that an Israeli group with ties to far-right political movements organized multiple flights evacuating Palestinians from Gaza to countries including South Africa and Indonesia since May 2024. The flights, which landed unexpectedly in November carrying around 150 people, were arranged through a company called Al-Majd, which presents itself as a humanitarian organization. The AP’s findings suggest the Israeli non-profit Ad Kan, founded by former intelligence officers and soldiers, was the ultimate force behind the operation, using Al-Majd to obscure its involvement.
Ad Kan’s founder, Gilad Ach, is a known West Bank settler activist who previously crafted a plan to implement former U.S. President Donald Trump’s withdrawn proposal for the “voluntary” emigration of Palestinians from Gaza. While Ach declined interview, he stated via text that the flights were humanitarian, organized for Palestinians seeking safety from Hamas. He denied South Africa’s foreign minister’s allegation that the effort constituted a plan to “cleanse” Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank.
According to contracts, passenger lists, and interviews with over two dozen individuals, the arrangement involved Palestinians in Gaza paying up to $2,000 per person via bank or crypto transfers to Al-Majd. They were then instructed to travel to a meeting point, transported by bus into Israel, searched, and flown onward. Six evacuees told the AP they were often unaware of the final destination or the organizers’ identities but felt they had no choice amid the war’s devastation. “There was famine, and we had no options,” said one man who arrived in South Africa.
The logistical operation involved American-Israeli businessman Moti Kahana, who signed a contract with Ad Kan for a $750,000 “flight rescue service.” Kahana told AP that Ach explained the use of Al-Majd was intended to provide an “Arab face” to the operation, distancing it from direct Israeli association. A spreadsheet provided to Kahana listed paying passengers later flown to South Africa. Al-Majd’s online presence lists offices in Germany and East Jerusalem but shows no registration in German business or charity databases.
A key unresolved issue is the question of return. Israel’sCoordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) states it permits departures for those with valid visas to destination countries, but does not comment on specific flights. Neither COGAT, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, nor Ach responded to questions about whether evacuees would be allowed to return to Gaza. Human rights groups argue that after two years of war that rendered much of the strip uninhabitable, the concept of “voluntary” departure is flawed, and Israel’s historical restrictions on Palestinian return raise concerns about permanence.
South Africa’s government, responding to the November landing, revoked 90-day visa exemptions for Palestinian passport holders, citing “deliberate and ongoing abuse” linked to such emigration efforts. The AP’s reporting highlights the complex intersection of humanitarian desperation, covert advocacy for demographic change, and the prolonged limbo for those who have left Gaza, even as the war continues.
