“Mysterious Flights Out of Gaza: Rescue or Relocation?”
By Arab News Staff | Based on an Associated Press investigation | First published March 15, 2026
In the aftermath of a long and brutal war, when much of Gaza has crumbled into dust, a quiet operation has carried hundreds of Palestinians far from the ruins of their homeland. The flights, shrouded in secrecy and confusion, have landed in unexpected corners of the world, from South Africa to Indonesia, leaving behind a trail of questions that touch on humanity, politics, and morality.
According to an investigation by the Associated Press (AP), an Israeli organization known as Ad Kan has been quietly orchestrating these operations since at least May 2025. The group, founded by former soldiers and intelligence officers, presented the evacuation effort as humanitarian — yet its methods and motives remain deeply controversial.
A Flight No One Expected
In November 2025, a charter plane touched down in Johannesburg carrying around 150 Palestinians from Gaza. South African officials and aid groups were caught entirely off guard; no agency had been alerted or prepared for their arrival. Days later, reports of similar flights surfaced in Indonesia.
Families stepped onto foreign tarmacs worn and overwhelmed. Many carried only small bundles of possessions, the last they had salvaged from the devastation at home. Some had not eaten properly in days. All shared the same urgency: escape.
“I didn’t care who organized the flight,” said a father whose young son had narrowly survived an airstrike. “All I cared about was getting my family somewhere safe.”
Behind the Curtain
Documents, contracts, passenger manifests, and financial records obtained by AP reveal that the flights were organized by Ad Kan, operating behind a front company called Al-Majd. The company publicly presented itself as a humanitarian group supporting Palestinians and Muslim communities in war zones, masking its Israeli links.
Interviews with dozens of witnesses and insiders Israelis, Palestinians, and international partners tied the entire effort back to Ad Kan.
Gilad Ach, the group’s founder, did not deny the connection. Speaking to the AP, he claimed pride in helping “Palestinians seeking a better life, free from Hamas tyranny.” He described the effort as voluntary and humanitarian, not politically motivated.
But Ach has a long history of supporting controversial resettlement campaigns. He previously endorsed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, and later launched an Israeli campaign featuring Trump’s image with the slogan, “Victory = Voluntary Migration.”
Paying the Price of Escape
For those who boarded the flights, the journey came at a cost often between $1,000 and $2,000 per person, paid in bank transfers or cryptocurrency. Several evacuees told AP they discovered the opportunity through social media or friends.
Destinations were rarely negotiable. Some were routed to Indonesia, others to South Africa or Malaysia. Few passengers knew who was behind the operation, and fewer still cared. “When everything is gone, your home, your school, your city, you take the first open door,” said one man who fled with his wife and two children.
Flight paths were winding. One early trip in May 2025 carried about 60 people through Hungary before turning toward Indonesia. Another, in October, took 170 passengers via Kenya to Johannesburg.
American-Israeli businessman Moti Kahana, known for coordinating rescue missions during the Syrian war, confirmed he briefly worked with Ad Kan to facilitate one such flight. He described the relationship between Ad Kan and Al-Majd as “different names for the same people,” explaining that organizers used an “Arab face” to conceal Israeli involvement.
Reactions and Warnings
The secret landings triggered a wave of diplomatic unease. South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola accused those behind the scheme of furthering “a clear agenda to cleanse Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank.”
Human rights organizations voiced grave concern, arguing that genuine consent is doubtful when people are fleeing starvation and destruction. “When survival itself depends on leaving, can anyone truly call that voluntary?” one rights advocate asked.
Under international law, Palestinians displaced from Gaza must retain the right to return, a right Israel has repeatedly restricted. Critics warn that once these families are gone, reclaiming that right may become nearly impossible.
Requests for comment from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and COGAT, the Israeli agency managing Palestinian movement, went unanswered.
Between Hope and Displacement
For many passengers, these journeys were a fragile gamble between despair and hope. They left behind a homeland they feared might no longer exist by the time they looked back.
One mother arriving in Johannesburg clutched her daughter’s hand as she spoke softly: “We don’t know who brought us here. We only know we are alive. For now, that is enough.”
Her words capture the haunting ambiguity of the so-called “mystery flights.” To some, they are a humanitarian lifeline, to others, a deliberate reshaping of Gaza’s future behind closed doors.
As the war drags on, the quiet hum of these unmarked planes continues to echo a painful question: are these departures acts of mercy, or the quiet erasure of a people’s place in the world?
