The "Al-Maid" organization claims to help Palestinians emigrate to third countries. But it is also accused of aiding the forced displacement of Gaza. What is known?
This is not the first time a plane full of Palestinians from Gaza has taken off from Israel. But this was the first to attract attention. Last week, 153 Palestinians arrived in South Africa on a charter flight from "Ramon" airport in Israel.
The problem? The passengers did not have the correct documents. Given the strict way Israel controls its borders, South African authorities are deeply puzzled as to how this plane took off in the first place. Later, Palestinian passengers said that the flight was organized by "Al Maid Europe". On its website, the organization claims to be conducting "humanitarian evacuations". But activists have been warning since the summer that the flights organized by "Al Maid Europe" are problematic.
Ownership and financing uncertainties
The organization claims to have been founded in Germany in 2010, and is currently headquartered in Jerusalem. However, a check of the German register of charities and the German register of companies does not reveal any such organization or company. The same applies to the registers in Israel, according to an investigation by the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz".
On its website, "Al Maid" uses photos of people from other crisis regions and copies activities there. The IP address and real location are hidden. The donation button is not working, and a DW check shows that the company has received only $106 in cryptocurrency donations. Palestinian passengers who traveled on flights organized by "Al Maid" told journalists that they paid between $1,500 and $2,000, but that the money was sent to personal accounts.
DW sent an inquiry to the organization's official email, but did not receive a response by the time of publication of this text.
This investigation by the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" also revealed other strange things: the publication linked "Al Maid" to Tomer Jamar Lind, a man with dual Israeli and Estonian citizenship who lives in London. The charter companies that the Palestinians traveled with to South Africa are also owned by Israelis. DW sent a request to Lind for comment on the information that he is connected to "Al Maid", but did not receive a response.
The airlines that transported the Palestinians to South Africa - Fly Yo, based in Romania, and Kibris Turkish Airlines, based in Cyprus - are Israeli-owned.
Plan for forced deportations from Gaza?
Because of all this, politicians in South Africa and various media outlets are speculating that "Al Maid" may be part of a plan to remove Palestinians from Gaza. DW also reached out to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, which is responsible for Israel's official activities in Gaza, for comment on possible links to "Al-Ma'id", but did not receive a response by the time of publication of the article.
"Reports that people are being flown out to unknown destinations from "Al-Ma'id" are very worrying," says Tanya Hari of "Gisha", an Israeli non-governmental organization that fights for the freedom of movement of Palestinians. "It seems that this dubious private organization is taking advantage of people's desperation and is quietly starting to implement Israel's vision of removing Palestinians," she adds.
In February, Donald Trump first spoke about his plan for a "Gaza Riviera", which would require the relocation of residents to third countries. That same month, "Al-Ma'id" has begun advertising its services to Palestinians on social media. In March, the Israeli government announced the creation of a Directorate for Voluntary Emigration within the Defense Ministry.
Human rights activists in Israel say they still don't have enough information about the directorate and how it works. Hari explains that the policy of "voluntary emigration" from Gaza is supported by leading Israeli politicians and that Israeli services have sent messages to Gazans "inviting them to review their options for leaving".
"This is not emigration"
However, our team was able to contact a man who identifies himself as Omar and provided his phone number on the "Al-Maid" website. In an interview via the WhatsApp chat app, he introduced himself as a Palestinian living in Jerusalem, but declined to give further details about himself or share his last name.
Omar claims that speculation about ties between "Al-Ma'id" and the Israeli government is being spread by two groups - the terrorist group "Hamas" and the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank. According to him, these two groups are the ones who do not want people to leave Gaza.
Omar nevertheless explains that in order to be able to take people to Israeli airports, "Al-Ma'id" must communicate with the Israeli coordination body COGAT, which is responsible for Israeli affairs in Gaza and is part of the Interior Ministry.
"I am helping my people in Gaza, this is not emigration," Omar insists. "I am helping people who want to leave, not die in Gaza." However, he declined to comment on the organization's ties to Tomer Jamar Lind, the charter companies owned by Israeli citizens, and details of the organization's funding. The man also said that he "does not remember" how many Palestinians they helped leave Gaza.
Ultimately, it is unclear whether "Al-Ma'id" is affiliated with the Israeli government, is a private initiative, or simply a way to make money. One thing is clear - Israeli security forces had to cooperate in getting the charter flights out of the country.
"Everyone has the right to live in their own country in security"
Israel has restricted the freedom of movement of Palestinians since 1967, when it occupied the Palestinian territories. Changing these restrictions depends on tensions between Israel and Palestinian militant groups. Until the start of the war after the bloody Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, travel outside Gaza was permitted for work, medical treatment, and for "exclusively humanitarian reasons" such as weddings and funerals of a close relative. Today, an Israeli blockade of Gaza is in force, making it difficult to leave the enclave. However, after the establishment of the "Directorate for Voluntary Emigration", facilitations have been introduced, as reported by Israeli media.
There is no official information on how many Palestinians have left Gaza. The World Health Organization has organized 2,589 medical evacuations this year with 5,000 escorts. It is estimated that 100,000 Palestinians have moved to Egypt in early 2024.
The departure of Gaza by the local Palestinian population has serious political overtones. "Under international law, everyone has the right to live in their own country in safety and dignity, to leave for their own safety, and to return," said Omar Shakir of "Human Rights Watch". "The challenge in the Israeli-Palestinian context is that the Israeli government has a long-standing practice of blocking Palestinian refugees from returning home."
A survey in May indicated that about half of Palestinians in the occupied territories would like to emigrate. Before the start of the current war, they were about 25 percent. "Al-Maid" campaigns work in this direction.
"In today's destructive conditions in Gaza, such "motivation" cannot be understood as free will," commented Tanya Hari of "Gisha". The intolerable conditions in Gaza and the official promotion of "voluntary migration" indicate a trend towards forced deportation, branded as a free choice, the human rights activist added.