What’s the shadowy organisation taking Gaza Palestinians to South Africa?

On Thursday morning, a chartered level carrying 153 Palestinians from war-torn Gaza – galore without the required question documents – landed astatine an airdrome adjacent Johannesburg, leaving South African officials “blindsided”.

After astir 12 hours of scrambling, the radical was allowed to disembark into the attraction of a section foundation organisation.

More details person emerged astir the strategy tally by “Al-Majd Europe”, done which activists reason Israel is advancing its taste cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza.

The Palestinian passengers were charged a hefty sum of wealth by the organisation, which says connected its website that it coordinates “evacuations from struggle zones”.

Here is everything we cognize astir the group’s transit truthful acold and who’s down Al-Majd Europe.

What happened successful South Africa?

The level afloat of radical sat connected a runway for astir 12 hours portion South African authorities tried to fig retired wherefore they did not person exit stamps oregon slips from erstwhile they near Gaza, according to officials from South Africa’s borderline agency.

They were besides not definite erstwhile asked by migration wherever they would enactment oregon however agelong they planned to beryllium successful South Africa.

The authorities allowed them to permission the level aft foundation organisation Gift of the Givers offered to accommodate them.

Officials said 23 Palestinians flew to different countries, without adding immoderate much details.

“These are radical from Gaza who someway mysteriously were enactment connected a level that passed by Nairobi and came here,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Friday.

He added that “it does look similar they were being flushed out” of Gaza. South Africa’s quality services are investigating the incident.

What is the institution that flew them to South Africa?

Behind the formation is Al-Majd Europe, which is accused of acting successful coordination with Israeli authorities.

Loay Abu Saif, who fled Gaza with his woman and children to Johannesburg, told Al Jazeera connected Friday that helium had heard astir it done a societal media advertisement.

The Al-Majd Europe website says it was founded successful 2010 successful Germany, and the homepage has a pop-up informing astir individuals pretending to beryllium its agents, sharing telephone numbers of “legitimate representatives”.

But the tract itself has nary code oregon telephone number, providing conscionable a determination successful Sheikh Jarrah successful occupied East Jerusalem. However, Al Jazeera was not capable to find an bureau there.

The website domain, almajdeurope.org, was lone registered successful February this year, portion respective links connected the tract pb nowhere. The email listed, info@almajdeurope.org, bounces backmost an automated connection saying it does not exist.

Namecheap, which registered the domain, has been cited successful respective cybersecurity reports connected online fraud due to the fact that of its low-cost, casual sign-up process.

Al Jazeera learned that galore radical were told to wage via slope transfers to personal, not organisational, accounts.

Does Al-Majd Europe bash what it says it does?

Among the links that enactment is simply a leafage with 4 “Impact Stories”.

One station astir “Mona”, a 29-year-old from Aleppo, Syria, is dated March 22, 2023, adjacent though the website was lone registered 10 months later.

The narrative, written successful “Mona’s” voice, expresses gratitude to Al-Majd for moving her and her parent “to a harmless place” erstwhile they felt threatened successful Lebanon, wherever they fled to successful 2013.

The photo, however, shows Abeer Khayat, who was 33 erstwhile photographed by writer Madeline Edwards successful December 2024 successful Tripoli, Lebanon, for Middle East Eye.

The online signifier reads: “For Gaza residents presently wrong the Gaza Strip only!

“Do you aspire to question and commencement a caller life? We are present to assistance you!”

Left: Al-Majd’s communicative astir ‘Mona’, who it claimed to person removed from Tripoli, Lebanon, successful 2023; Right: The photograph is of Abeer Khayat, photographed successful Tripoli for the Middle East Eye successful 2024

How did radical extremity up connected that flight?

The Palestinian families, with a large pistillate among them, boarded the level not knowing their last destination, having paid Al-Majd $1,400 to $2,000 each – the terms for children the aforesaid arsenic adults.

Saif, who was connected the plane, said helium hadn’t known erstwhile they would permission Gaza until a time before, erstwhile helium was told passengers could lone instrumentality a tiny bag, a mobile phone, and immoderate cash.

They were taken by autobus from confederate Gaza’s Rafah to the Karem Abu Salem crossing (known arsenic Kerem Shalom successful Israel), wherever they were checked, past transferred to Israel’s Ramon Airport, without Israeli authorities stamping their question documents.

Another idiosyncratic interviewed by Al Jazeera connected information of anonymity said: “The … applicant indispensable [have a young] family. [Then] the names are sent for information screening. Once that’s completed, and if the household is approved, they’re asked to pay,” helium said.

“There had been anterior coordination with the Israeli service for the buses to participate Rafah,” helium said. “The process was lone routine.”

The radical near from Ramon successful a Romanian craft and transited done Nairobi, Kenya, earlier landing successful Johannesburg.

Have determination been akin flights before?

A antheral who was connected committee the level told Al Jazeera determination had been a akin formation to Indonesia successful June.

Al-Majd’s website besides claims to person facilitated a travel for “a radical of doctors moving successful hospitals successful the Gaza Strip” who it flew to Indonesia “for further studies and precocious aesculapian training”. However, this station is dated April 28, 2024.

Al Jazeera could not independently verify the authenticity of this station and a photograph of the radical successful it.

Gift of the Givers laminitis Imtiaz Sooliman, who alleged that Al-Majd was 1 of “Israel’s beforehand organisations”, told AP that this was the 2nd level to get successful South Africa.

Another level arrived with much than 170 Palestinians connected committee connected October 28, but that formation was not announced by authorities.

What did Palestine say?

The Palestinian Embassy successful South Africa said successful a connection that the formation was arranged by “an unregistered and misleading enactment that exploited the tragic humanitarian conditions of our radical successful Gaza, deceived families, collected wealth from them, and facilitated their question successful an irregular and irresponsible manner”.

The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned Palestinians, particularly those successful the Gaza Strip, astir networks that question to region them from their homes successful enactment with Israeli interests.