Israeli Association Displaces Gazans to Various Destinations Around the World

SadaNews - An Israeli association has worked to displace hundreds of Gazans from the war-stricken enclave to various destinations around the world, exploiting their catastrophic living conditions, while many faced poor circumstances and deprivation of food and drinking water for hours, and some were unaware of their next destination.

This was reported by Haaretz through its website on Sunday evening, in a report that mentioned that several charter flights had departed in recent months from Ramon Airport near Eilat, "carrying groups of dozens of Gazans to various destinations around the world".

The report confirmed that the "Voluntary Migration" directorate, established in the Israeli Ministry of Security in March of last year with the aim of displacing Gazans, had tasked the association with coordinating the departure of Gaza residents with the Israeli government's coordinator of operations in the occupied territories, noting that "other organizations that attempted to organize the evacuation of Gaza residents were referred to the government coordinator in the territories through the directorate, but their efforts were unsuccessful".

The departure of the groups from Gaza was organized by an unknown association, its website indicates that it is "a humanitarian organization specialized in helping and rescuing Muslim communities from war zones"; Haaretz mentioned that an investigation it conducted showed that a dual Israeli-Estonian citizen is behind this organization, named "Al-Majd".

No Water or Food

The last group that left Gaza, which included 153 Gazans, flew to Nairobi on a charter flight from "Fly U"; the passengers were unaware of the country they were heading to, and they traveled from Nairobi on a charter flight from the South African company "Lift", landing in Johannesburg, South Africa, last Thursday.

The authorities there delayed their disembarkation for more than 12 hours, claiming they arrived without identification papers, without a return ticket, and without their passports being stamped upon leaving Israel, but after an extensive search, they succumbed and allowed the Gazans to enter the country.

According to testimonies from the passengers, including families and children, they were not provided with water or food while waiting, and the conditions inside the plane were extremely difficult.

In this regard, the Palestinian embassy in South Africa confirmed in a statement that "the group's departure was arranged by an unregistered, misleading organization that exploited the tragic humanitarian situation in Gaza, defrauded families, took their money, and airlifted them in a disorganized and irresponsible manner, then completely shirked its responsibility for the complications that resulted from this". The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also warned Gaza residents, saying: "Do not fall into the traps of blood merchants and deportation agents".

The "Al-Majd" website indicates that the association was established in 2010 in Germany and has offices in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem, but Haaretz's investigation showed that there is no registered association by that name in Germany or Jerusalem, and its website was not created until February of this year. Additionally, the links to social media pages on the site do not lead to any pages. Furthermore, the association boasts on its website about helping earthquake victims in Turkey in 2023 and assisting Syrian refugees, but it provides no evidence to verify this.

Incorrect Numbers, Addresses, and Links

The association's website contains no identifying information about its directors, but an older version reveals the logo of a registered company in Estonia called "Talent Globes".

A page on the website details the "terms of voluntary migration from the Gaza Strip", explicitly stating that "Talent Globes" is the organizing body for the groups. While the site mentions that the company ostensibly provides consulting and employment services, it "displays general images collected from the internet, an incorrect phone number, and addresses in Estonia, London, and Qatar".

Research in the Estonian companies registry shows that "Talent Globes" was established a year ago by Tomer Janar Lind. According to the companies registry in England, Lind established four companies in the country over the past decade, three of which are no longer active. Company documents indicate that Lind was born in 1989 and holds both Israeli and Estonian nationalities, according to Haaretz.

Lind states on his LinkedIn page that he helps Gaza residents and recently established a new consulting company, purportedly in Dubai, but the phone number displayed on its website is also incorrect and leads to another company in Dubai.

Haaretz reported that he did not deny his involvement in organizing the displacement of Gazans during a call with them via his London phone number, but he refused to specify who was behind it. He said regarding this: "I do not wish to comment at this stage, perhaps later".

How Does the Association Operate?

In recent months, the address of the "Al-Majd" website has circulated across social media in Gaza, inviting Palestinians who wish to leave the enclave to fill out their information, and many of them have already submitted requests to leave.

After obtaining preliminary approval, each departure candidate receives instructions to transfer a financial amount to the association, ranging between $1,500 and $2,700, to then be added to a "WhatsApp" group, where updates are sent to them before the immigration process begins.

Contact between the association and Gazans occurs only via "WhatsApp" messages from a phone number that seems to be Israeli, according to the report.

The first group of residents from Gaza, consisting of 57 Gazans, left the enclave on May 27. On the night before their departure, dozens of residents received a "WhatsApp" message with a precise address in the enclave for them to head to, and from there, they proceeded by bus to the "Kerem Shalom" crossing.

The bus departed after an Israeli inspection to Ramon Airport, where the Gazans boarded a chartered plane from the Romanian company "Fly Lily", which flew to Budapest, and from there, the passengers continued their journey to Indonesia and Malaysia.

The second group, consisting of 150 people, departed the enclave on October 17, in a similar operation to the first time, as three buses left the central area of the enclave through the Kerem Shalom crossing, and they flew on a chartered flight from the Romanian company "Fly U" to Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

In Nairobi, residents were transferred to a chartered flight from "Lift", which took them to Johannesburg. Unlike what happened in the flight the previous week, Gazans were allowed into the country without any issues.

The Romanian company "Fly U", which transported Gaza residents from Ramon Port to Kenya, operates daily charter flights from Ben Gurion Airport to destinations in Europe.

The owner of the airline, Ziv Maiberg, confirmed the details to Haaretz; however, he claimed that "Fly U" does not deal with any entity, adding that an Israeli travel agent works with the company, which booked the two flights.

Maiberg refused to disclose the identity of the agent but stated that he obtained all necessary permits from the Kenyan authorities to transport the Gazans there.

The company "Global Airways", the parent company of "Lift", which transported the Gazans from Kenya to South Africa, responded that "an external travel agent booked the two flights from Nairobi to Johannesburg. The agent claimed that the passengers intended to visit South Africa for up to 90 days, thus they would not need a visa. A list of passengers was sent to the authorities 24 hours prior, and there were no suspicions raised".

The company claimed that it had never cooperated with the "Al-Majd" association.

Since the decision by the cabinet last March regarding what was then referred to as the