Israeli group behind mysterious flights from Gaza taking Palestinians to South Africa and Indonesia

The plane carrying about 150 Palestinians from Gaza came as a surprise to everyone on the ground when it landed in South Africa in Nov. Since May, at least three flights filled with Gaza residents who'd signed up to leave the war-torn enclave have landed in Indonesia and South Africa.



An Israeli group whose founder adamantly supported US President Donald Trump's proposal to resettle Palestinians from Gaza is behind the flights, an AP investigation has found, raising further questions about the motives behind the evacuation of hundreds of people from the strip.

At the time, South African foreign minister Ronald Lamola called the flights a "clear agenda to cleanse out the Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank."

Ad Kan, an Israeli organisation founded by soldiers and former intelligence officers, worked via another company to distance links to Israel and organise the flights, according to a contract, passenger lists, text messages, financial statements, and interviews with more than two dozen Israelis, Palestinians and other people involved with the trips.

Several of the passengers said they didn't know who was behind the trip. But they largely didn't care, they said, as long as they could leave. "There was famine, and we had no options. My children were almost killed," said a 37-year-old Palestinian who arrived in South Africa in Nov and, like the other passengers, spoke on condition of anonymity. Ad Kan kept a distance from the flights. The evacuations were organised through a company called Al-Majd, which describes itself as a humanitarian organisation "supporting Palestinian lives".

However, a look at the history of Ad Kan and its founder, Gilad Ach, suggests the Israeli group may have been driven, at least in part, by a different agenda. "Ad Kan," Hebrew for "enough is enough," has for years worked covertly to infiltrate groups and expose what they say are antisemitic or anti-Israel activities.

Ach, an Israeli combat reservist, is a West Bank settler activist who was a staunch supporter of Trump's proposal last year to transfer 2 million Palestinians out of Gaza. Trump later abandoned his plan - which drew widespread international condemnation and accusations from Palestinians, rights groups and even the U.N. secretary-general that such a proposal could amount to "ethnic cleansing" - and said Palestinians could remain in Gaza.

But far-right Israeli groups, including members of governing coalition, continue to support the idea of removing Gaza's Palestinians. With the knowledge of the US, Israel's govt has approached several govts - Somaliland, South Sudan and Sudan - in hopes of facilitating emigration from Gaza.

Ach declined to be interviewed for this story and said in a text message that he was proud to lead organisations voicing support for the rights of Palestinians in Gaza who want to leave for safer parts of the world, free from Hamas.

Families who flew to South Africa said they weren't aware that Israelis were behind the flights but it didn't matter. "I agreed to the flight, and I didn't know the destination," said a Palestinian who used Al-Majd to send his wife and son to South Africa. "All I cared about was getting my family out of Gaza."