South African government and intelligence services have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrival of 153 Palestinian travellers last week, as concerns mount over the journey being orchestrated by a shadowy organisation, Al-Majd Europe.

It is believed that it is part of a systematic campaign of “forced migration”.

The arrival, which followed a gruelling 13-hour delay on the tarmac at O. R. Tambo International Airport, has shone a spotlight on an alleged pipeline moving vulnerable Palestinians from Gaza to international destinations.

Charter operator Global Airways confirmed to IOL that this was not an isolated incident, stating that they operated a previous charter flight from Nairobi to Johannesburg on October 28, 2025, which carried Palestinians who were allowed to enter South Africa “unhindered” under the 90-day visa exemption.

President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the unusual nature of the arrivals, noting that “it does seem like they were being flushed out” of Gaza.

Gift of the Givers founder Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman echoed this concern, alleging that a previous plane arrived with more than 170 Palestinians.

Dr. Sooliman described the movement as “forced migration of people” and suggesting it represented a process of “ethnic cleansing”

So who is Al-Majd Europe?

The group allegedly responsible for arranging the flights is Al-Majd Europe.

The Palestinian embassy in South Africa has strongly condemned the group, stating that the group is an “unregistered and misleading organisation” that exploited the “tragic humanitarian conditions” of the Palestinian people.

Passengers were charged substantial sums, with one earlier arrival stating he paid $6,000 (over R100,000) for his family.

Other reports suggest payments ranged from $1,500 to $5,000.

One traveller said they were only allowed to travel with their clothes, passports, and phones.

Passengers were told to pay via bank transfers to personal, not organisational, accounts.

The organisation’s website domain was only registered in February of the same year, and its listed email address bounces back.

The Haaretz reported that the organisation is led by dual Israeli-Estonian national Tomer Janar Lind, who allegedly worked with an Israeli military unit called the Voluntary Emigration Bureau, established to enact a policy of pushing Palestinians out of their homeland.

South Africa’s response and investigation

The travellers were ultimately granted entry on “humanitarian grounds”.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber confirmed that entry was granted only after officials were satisfied that the absence of elements like return tickets would not leave them destitute, and critically, “in the absence of any asylum claims”.

President Ramaphosa has confirmed that South Africa’s intelligence services will launch an investigation to determine how the group was transported. Home Affairs officials are currently working with law enforcement and diplomatic partners to establish whether any wrongdoing occurred by Al-Majd Europe.

In a briefing on Monday, Minister Ronald Lamola told reporters: “We are suspicious, as the South African government, about the circumstances surrounding the arrival of the plane.” 

“We do not want any further flights to come our way because this is a clear agenda to cleanse out Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank and those areas, which South Africa is against,” Lamola said.

“It does look like it represents a broader agenda to remove Palestinians from Palestine into many different parts of the world, and is a clearly orchestrated operation,” he said.

IOL

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