In a surprising development amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, an Associated Press investigation has revealed that an Israeli organization played a key role in organizing charter flights that evacuated hundreds of Palestinians from the war-torn enclave to destinations including South Africa and Indonesia. The flights, which began in May 2025 and caught local authorities off guard upon arrival, were discreetly arranged by Ad Kan, a group founded by Gilad Ach, a West Bank settler activist and vocal supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial proposal to resettle Palestinians outside Gaza.
The most recent flight, carrying approximately 150 Palestinians, touched down in Johannesburg, South Africa, in November 2025, surprising officials and residents alike. According to passengers interviewed by the AP, the group had endured over two years of devastating war that left much of Gaza in ruins, with famine and constant threats prompting desperate bids to escape. 'There was famine, and we had no options. My children were almost killed,' said one 37-year-old Palestinian man who arrived in South Africa that month and spoke on condition of anonymity due to fears of reprisal. He added, 'Death and destruction was everywhere, all day, for two years, and nobody came to the rescue.'
Since May, at least three such flights have departed, ferrying Gaza residents who signed up through online ads or word-of-mouth to leave the enclave. The first, in May 2025, transported nearly 60 Palestinians from Israel via Hungary to Indonesia and other locations. A second flight in October 2025 carried around 170 people to South Africa via Kenya. These evacuations were facilitated through a company called Al-Majd, which presents itself on its website as a humanitarian organization 'supporting Palestinian lives' and aiding Muslim communities in conflict zones. However, AP's review of contracts, passenger lists, text messages, financial statements, and interviews with over two dozen individuals involved points to Ad Kan as the underlying organizer, using Al-Majd to obscure direct ties to Israel.
Gilad Ach, the founder of Ad Kan—Hebrew for 'enough is enough'—has a history of covert operations aimed at exposing what the group describes as antisemitic or anti-Israel activities. A combat reservist and West Bank settler, Ach publicly backed Trump's 2024 proposal to transfer up to 2 million Palestinians out of Gaza, publishing a detailed report on how Israel could implement a 'voluntary exit' within six to eight months. The plan, which Ach argued was 'entirely feasible' and aligned with Israeli interests, suggested coordinating with the U.S. to secure host countries and claimed Palestinians wanted to leave. Trump later abandoned the idea amid international backlash, including accusations from Palestinians, human rights groups, and even U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres that it resembled 'ethnic cleansing.' Despite this, far-right elements in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition continue to advocate for Palestinian emigration, viewing it as a path to Israeli resettlement of Gaza.
Ach's involvement extends to post-war initiatives. After the conflict erupted in October 2023, he founded The Israeli Reservists Generation of Victory, which promoted the 'emigration of our enemies' in a November 2024 interview with Arutz Sheva, a nationalist news outlet aligned with the settler movement. The group ran ads on Israeli buses featuring Trump's image alongside Hebrew text reading: 'Victory = Voluntary migration … This bus could be full of Gazans. Listen to Trump, let them out!' In another interview with the Jewish News Syndicate shortly after the war began, Ach stated that victory in Gaza would involve 'taking part of the land and opening the borders so people could leave,' adding, 'They lost their territory, they lost population, this is a clear victory.'
The flights have drawn sharp criticism, particularly from South Africa. Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola described them as having a 'clear agenda to cleanse out the Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank.' This sentiment echoes broader concerns from rights groups that emigration from Gaza, amid conditions that have rendered much of the strip uninhabitable, cannot truly be voluntary. Critics also highlight Israel's long-standing policies that complicate returns for Palestinians, potentially stranding evacuees abroad. In response, Ach texted the AP that he was 'proud to lead organizations voicing support for the rights of Palestinians in Gaza who want to leave for safer parts of the world, free from Hamas.' He denied any cleansing intent, calling the flights humanitarian and noting that participants reached out for help, with some covering partial costs. Ach pointed to what he termed 'profound hypocrisy' in countries reluctant to accept Palestinian refugees, arguing that their presence in Gaza under dire conditions pressures Israel internationally and bolsters Hamas's control.
Passengers on the flights, six of whom spoke to the AP, described a process that began in early 2025 when they learned of a company offering transfers out of Gaza through social media or friends directing them to Al-Majd's site. With the war raging and infrastructure destroyed, many said they were indifferent to the organizers' identities as long as escape was possible. They paid up to $2,000 per person via bank transfers or cryptocurrency, with the website listing potential destinations like South Africa, Indonesia, or Malaysia but no choice in selection. Once a flight was scheduled, participants received instructions to gather at a designated spot, where they were bused out of Gaza into Israel for security checks before boarding with limited belongings.
American-Israeli businessman Moti Kahana, experienced in evacuations from conflict areas like Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Syria, was contracted by Ad Kan in August 2025 to arrange a flight for over 300 Palestinians to Indonesia from Ramon Airport in southern Israel. The agreement, shared with the AP, stipulated a minimum payment of $750,000 for the 'flight rescue service.' Kahana said the destination later shifted to South Africa, after which his involvement ceased. He confirmed helping organize the planes but did not elaborate on further details.
Israel's government has taken steps aligning with emigration efforts. Early last year, it established the Voluntary Emigration Bureau under the Defense Ministry. With U.S. awareness, officials have approached countries including Somaliland, South Sudan, and Sudan to facilitate Palestinian departures from Gaza. These moves come against the backdrop of a war that, according to health authorities, has killed over 43,000 Palestinians since October 2023, displaced nearly the entire 2.3 million population, and triggered a humanitarian crisis with widespread hunger and disease.
The evacuees now face uncertain futures. In Johannesburg, the November arrivals are living in temporary flats, adjusting to life far from home. One Palestinian woman, checking her phone in her new residence, expressed relief mixed with worry about family left behind. South Africa's government initially granted 90-day visas but revoked them after the second flight, complicating stays for the group. Officials there are reviewing the cases amid diplomatic tensions with Israel.
Broader implications linger as the war grinds on without resolution. While Ach and supporters frame the flights as lifesaving, opponents see them as part of a larger strategy to alter Gaza's demographics permanently. Human rights organizations emphasize the need for safe return options, warning that without them, such evacuations risk becoming involuntary exiles. As international attention focuses on ceasefire talks and aid delivery, these quiet operations highlight the complex interplay of humanitarian intent and political maneuvering in the region.
For the Palestinians who made it out, the journeys represent a fragile reprieve. 'We had no options,' echoed another evacuee, underscoring the desperation that drove their decisions. Yet questions persist about funding, transparency, and long-term support for those resettled abroad. Ad Kan has not publicly detailed future plans, and Ach did not respond to inquiries about Al-Majd's role in masking Israeli involvement.
As global leaders grapple with the Gaza crisis, these flights serve as a microcosm of divided perspectives: aid to the desperate on one side, alleged demographic engineering on the other. With no end in sight to the conflict, more such initiatives may emerge, testing the boundaries of international law and ethics.