Dubious flights from Gaza to South Africa raise questions

153 people from Gaza landed in Johannesburg – without luggage, without exit stamps. An opaque network of companies and Israeli authorities is believed to have organized their departure.

When Luay S. landed in Johannesburg early Friday morning, he was wearing two pairs of trousers, two shirts, and two jackets. His wife and two small children were too. He was holding a plastic bag. “They told us we weren’t allowed to bring proper bags,” he explained over the phone. “Everything had to fit into light, transparent bags – we packed papers, medication, and charging cables in them.”

Luay is one of 153 Palestinians from Gaza who arrived at OR Tambo airport on a charter flight – an arrival that has thrown South African authorities into chaos just days before the G20 summit in Johannesburg. The country that dragged Israel before the International Court of Justice at the end of 2023 finds itself embroiled in a debate about how truly voluntary the “voluntary departure” of as many Gazans as possible, as advocated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, actually is. And to what extent dubious companies are profiting from the situation.

The journey of Luay, an employee of an international aid organization in Gaza, and his family from the war zone to South Africa began six months earlier with a click on social media. “It was a Facebook ad,” the 35-year-old recalls. “It said: We are organizing immediate evacuation, contact us via this link.”

Months of uncertainty

This led to the website of a self-described “humanitarian organization” called Al-Majd Europe, which lists “aid and rescue operations for Muslim communities in conflict and war zones” as one of its services. Luay uploads copies of passports and enters the names and dates of the family members.

Then began a months-long stalemate. “I received a call that the Israelis were about to begin the security check.” Once that was completed, the next call came. A flight would be available soon: “Are you interested?” The cost for the family was $8,000, $2,000 per person. Paid in USDT, a cryptocurrency.

Luay hesitated for a long time, not wanting to leave his parents and friends behind. But he believed the ceasefire wouldn’t hold. He had thought about his children’s future, he said, not just the danger, but also the education that was currently impossible in Gaza. He paid – encouraged in part by the fact that acquaintances had recently arrived in Indonesia after receiving a similar offer. Yes, he had paid a fortune, Luay said, “but it’s nothing for a lifetime.”

Israeli-Estonian businessman

At that moment, he didn’t even know which country he was being taken to. However, he was aware that South Africa was a possible destination because the country allows Palestinians to enter without a visa – once a gesture of thanks from the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party for supporting the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) during the liberation struggle against apartheid.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has investigated and revealed that an Israeli-Estonian businessman is behind the dubious business model of Al-Majd Europe. The “Office for Voluntary Emigration” within the Israeli Ministry of Defense allegedly referred the organization to the army to coordinate departures. Al-Majd claims to have been founded in Germany in 2010 and to have offices in East Jerusalem. However, according to Haaretz , it is not registered there. Its website also only went online a year ago.

But the journey initially went smoothly. Last Wednesday, Luay and his family were picked up at a meeting point at dawn. The security check by the Israelis at the Kerem Shalom border crossing took three hours. “They scanned our passports with their devices, then we had to wait on the bus,” says Luay, “then they let us through.” After three hours, they reached Ramon Airport, from which similar flights to Indonesia had already departed.
And also to South Africa.

President orders admission and investigation

A plane carrying 176 Palestinian refugees had already landed there at the end of October. Nevertheless, the authorities were surprised when the group landed in Johannesburg on Friday.

They kept the passengers on board for twelve hours.

Officially, this was because their passports lacked Israeli exit stamps. “Many friends who previously left via Al-Majd, other organizations, or embassies also didn’t have stamps. Some didn’t even have passports and were evacuated with identity cards or birth certificates,” says Luay.

“We sat on the plane almost all day,” he recounts. “It was hot, the plane was full of children, sick people, elderly people, and many women. We didn’t know if we would be allowed to enter the country or sent back.” According to South African media, South African police had already ordered the airline to return the refugees. Then, President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered them to be admitted – well aware that he would otherwise have appeared hypocritical – given his government’s sharp criticism of Israel.

The refugees were “somehow mysteriously put on a plane,” Ramaphosa stated. However, they come from “a war-torn country,” and “we cannot turn them away.” He added that a “proper investigation” would be launched, addressing those South Africans who raised security concerns. Around 130 accepted the offer of entry and received 90-day visas. It remains unclear whether they will apply for asylum. Approximately 20 traveled directly on to other countries.

Dispute over permission

The television channel France24 reports that Israel had received permission from South Africa. Ramaphosa’s spokesman, Vincent Magwenya, denied this when contacted by the STANDARD: “This permission does not exist. The Israeli government continues to lie.” On Monday, Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola announced that he intended to prevent such flights in the future. He wrote on Twitter that the flight was part of a “clear agenda for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank.” There has been no reaction from Israel so far.

South Africa’s government is under pressure from the pro-Palestinian lobby in the country, most notably the largest aid organization, Gift of the Givers, which also operates in Gaza. Its founder, Imtiaz Sooliman, described the flight as “part of the ethnic cleansing by Israel.” He called it forced migration and claimed that the people’s desperation had been financially exploited by “Israeli front organizations.”

Gift of the Givers spontaneously arranged accommodation for the refugees from Gaza. Luay and his family are currently living in Roshnee, a small town south of Johannesburg. He doesn’t yet know if he will apply for asylum. “We have 90 days now; that’s how long the visa is valid,” he says. “We’re assessing the situation.” But he is certain he will return to Gaza one day. (Christian Putsch from Cape Town, November 18, 2025)