By Nermin Walid Hussein, Matilde Picarazzi, Giovanna Mariani
Major gap in global protection system is emerging in Gaza, flattened by Israel’s ongoing military aggression, and private groups can easily operate under the false banner of humanitarian aid, taking advantage of people with no safe options. Beside the few legit humanitarian operations, a controversial evacuation operation has recently come to light raising alarming concerns. A shadowy organization, calling itself Al-Majd Europe, is currently under international investigation, amid suspicions that it has exploited Palestinians trapped under siege conditions, profiting from their desperation. The operation drew global attention after a chartered aircraft carrying 153 Palestinians landed unexpectedly in Johannesburg on 13 November, without proper documentation. This incident has raised alarms among authorities and analysts, who fear it may be part of a hidden human trafficking scheme or, even worse, part of a wider strategy of ethnic cleansing.
Although this organization presents itself as a humanitarian NGO, it appears to be a façade. Despite the narrative of solidarity and the dedication to protecting civilians in conflict zones, African and Arab journalists have revealed inconsistencies, such as the absence of operational offices and fake staff images as AI-generated. There is no verifiable record of past projects or public documentation regarding its activities over the years.
Further investigation into the evacuation routes has revealed even more alarming details. Testimonies suggest a route beginning in Gaza, passing through the Kerem Shalom crossing, and continuing under Israeli control to Ramon Airport, south of Eilat. The flights depart from an airport controlled by the Israeli military and land in Nairobi, Kenya, before proceeding to South Africa. Many passengers have reported not knowing their final destination until they disembarked the plane. Reports from Al Jazeera, Associated Press, and South African media now indicate that individuals have been charged between $1,500 and $5,000 each. Passengers were moved through Israeli checkpoints, flown out without proper papers, detained for hours abroad. Many passengers were initially denied entry and stayed on the plane for over 10 hours because a number lacked the usual departure stamps and other travel details. Following intervention by the South African (SA) authorities, 130 people were allowed into South Africa on humanitarian ground, while 23 continued to other destinations. SA President Cyril Ramaphosa described the arrival as “mysterious,” praised the government’s “empathy and compassion,” and announced a formal review of the case, while warning they will not admit further flights. South Africa has taken a leading role in bringing the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and has drawn explicit parallels between Israeli policies and South African apartheid. Aware of the enduring scars of segregation in its own past, the SA government stresses that any future arrivals should be managed through transparent mechanisms, preferably involving international organisations and the mediation of the Palestinian authorities.
Israel has often explored plans to relocate Gaza’s population (including past proposals and talks with African countries). In fact, to leave Gaza, Palestinians must pass through Istrael’s check-points, controls and permits, making the claim of Israel’s non-involvement quite improbable. It is likely that this plane was part of a controlled route out of the Strip that bypassed normal migration channels. Under Israel’s coordination, directing the group and giving the security clearances, this operation appears less like charity and more like a covert forced transfer scheme, that constitutes an illegal pattern to clear Gaza of Palestinians and speed up the ethnic cleansing process.
According to the Humanitarian Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention is indeed deeply suspicious of evacuations of civilians. The dilemma is obvious. On the one hand, Palestinians from Gaza retain the right to leave due to the unhuman life conditions in the Strip. On the other hand, the occupying power that contributed to creating those conditions must not be allowed to exploit the suffering of the Palestinian population in order to facilitate its colonial plan. But when Gaza has left with nothing but debris, is there a genuine options for Palestinians to choose to leave voluntarily?
For Palestinians the decision of boarding this flight carried a terrible weight, knowing it might be a one way ticket with no possibility to return, transforming survival into permanent exile. Not clearly deported, but also somehow forced to pack their life in a bag, admitted on temporary 90-day visas in an unfamiliar country with no guarantees for the future, Palestinians in South Africa are now a symbol of the Israeli colonial pattern trying to permanently get rid of them. That is where the line between lawful facilitation and constructive deportation may have been crossed. Permits, checkpoints, buffer zones, humanitarian corridors, selective evacuations, and the shady transfers of population through private entities, all of these are tools of border control and demographic management. In this sense, the plane from Gaza is a window into how contemporary forms of colonialism operate: not only through settlement, but through the manufacturing of unlivable conditions, the monetisation of escape, and the dispersal of a people across borders. Whether history will remember this flight as an episode of rescue or as a step in a long process of ethnic cleansing will depend on whether the international community chooses to confront the deeper project that lies behind this story.
In the meanwhile, on Monday, the United Nations Security Council has formally approved a resolution based on the American’s 20-point plan for Gaza, receiving 13 votes in favor, with Russia and China abstaining. The plan, which appears more as a preliminary framework than a detailed strategy, includes creating an International Stabilization Force (ISF), tasked with managing security, humanitarian aid distribution, and Gaza’s reconstruction. Just a short reference to a “path to self-determination and a Palestinian state” looks more as a concession, that a concrete pathway to reach this objective. Many, especially Palestinians, rejected the resolution as a neo-colonial “international guardianship mechanism” imposed on Gaza and on Palestinians. By omitting accountability, excluding Palestinians, denying their participation and right to self-determination through the installation of a new international control, this resolution fails to meet political and humanitarian demands.
Moreover, despite vowing the ceasefire momentum, violations on the ground continue and the humanitarian situation remains dire. Humanitarian workers report that Israel continues to restrict journalists’ access to Gaza and allows aid distributions—such as tents and medical supplies—to occur very slowly, contradicting previous commitments. The UN reports that over 80% of buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, rising to 92% in the city of Gaza. About 1.5 million people, are in need of emergency shelter assistance, lacking the basics to get through winter. On the Lebanese border, Israel launched an airstrike on the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Saida, targeting a densely populated refugee area. In this horrific attack 13 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured, marking a serious escalation of tensions and a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024.
As Palestinian civilians endure bombardment, displacement, and starvation, and some are left with no options but to rely on unscrupulous actors that exploit their human suffering, we advocate for transparent, accountable, and genuinely humanitarian mechanisms to protect Palestinians. We reclaim their right to participate in any peace talking, reconstruction and self-determination process. We advocate for them to attain their inalienable rights, including to live in dignity and freedom in their own land.
