South Africa is investigating how a chartered flight carrying 153 Palestinians from Gaza arrived at Johannesburg’s main airport without proper Israeli exit documentation, after traveling from southern Gaza through Israel-controlled areas, the Kerem Abu Salam crossing, Israel’s Ramon airport, and Nairobi. Passengers described a “journey of suffering” in which they paid thousands of dollars to a little-known organization, Al-Majd Europe, which used unofficial channels to move them out of Gaza and, according to one passenger, worked closely with the Israeli army while keeping people unaware of their final destination. On arrival, border authorities kept the group on board for about 12 hours without food, water, or proper ventilation before allowing them into South Africa on visitor visas, with some continuing on to other countries. The program situates these flights in the context of more than two years of what it describes as Israel’s genocide, bombardment, destruction, famine, and forced displacement in Gaza, and raises concerns that such “voluntary migration” schemes may contribute to efforts to clear Palestinians from Gaza, which human rights groups have labeled ethnic cleansing.
Compiled from: “Are Israeli-backed human trafficking networks forcing people out of Gaza?,” Al Jazeera English – Inside Story, Nov. 16, 2025.