On December 19, 2025, an investigative report by Al Jazeera exposed the reality of "Al-Majd Europe," a shell company strongly suspected of having ties to Israel. The company, using humanitarian aid as a cover, charges Palestinians in the Gaza Strip exorbitant fees to secretly transport them out of the country. Concerns have emerged that this is effectively an ethnic cleansing plan carried out under the guise of "voluntary migration" promoted by Israel.

The Mysterious Organization "Al-Majd Europe" and Shadow Routes

According to reports, 153 people were airlifted to South Africa last month under the company's guidance. However, the passengers did not possess standard exit stamps, and systematic involvement by the authorities has been confirmed, such as being transported to the airport in buses provided by Israeli officials.

Although "Al-Majd Europe" claims to be a German humanitarian organization, in reality, it is a fictitious organization with no registration. The presence of a businessman with dual Israeli and Estonian citizenship is visible in the background, strengthening suspicions that this is a shadow route orchestrated by authorities behind the scenes to remove Gaza residents.

Air Transport as a "Pilot Project"

Considering the population size of the Gaza Strip, the current transport by aircraft is overwhelmingly small in scale. In addition, for many Gaza residents who are economically destitute, it is difficult to come up with the high fees (in the scale of thousands of dollars per person) charged by the company.

Inferring from these facts, this air transport operation itself is merely a "pilot project" on the Israeli side, and it appears to have a strong character of being a test of the policy to transport Gaza residents out of the country under the supervision of the Israeli government.

Selection of Destination and Future Concerns

South Africa, which became the destination for this transfer, has filed a case with the International Court of Justice claiming that the Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip constitute genocide; politically speaking, it is hard to say it is an appropriate destination. Furthermore, South Africa, which records extremely high unemployment and poverty rates, likely does not have the economic capacity to accept refugees on a large scale.

Considering these factors, it is highly probable that African least developed countries (LDCs), particularly internationally isolated coastal nations, which require the merits offered by the Israeli side such as economic aid, will be selected as future full-scale destinations. Also, regarding the means of transport, it is predicted that ships capable of large-scale transport will be used instead of inefficient aircraft.

Violations of International Law and Global Reaction

The forcible transfer of residents of occupied territories is a clear violation of international law, and international condemnation is inevitable. Regarding this case, it is unlikely that South Africa, the country involved, will remain a spectator, and it is expected to strongly condemn the Israeli side through means such as filing lawsuits, as before.

Al-Majd Europe, which is leading the transfer, claims that this activity is conducted from a humanitarian standpoint, but its base is concealed and its track record of activities is opaque. Given that strict permission is required to leave the Gaza Strip, there is no room for doubt that this transfer is systematic with the backing of Israeli authorities, and that the group is a cover for it. Attention is focused on how Western countries, such as the United States and Germany, which have supported Israel so far, will react to this.

References

Obscure organization flies Palestinians out of Gaza (DW)

Al Jazeera Investigations: The secret shell company smuggling Palestinians out of Gaza