South African activists allege Israel used shadowy NGO to 'traffic' Palestinians from Gaza

South African activists have alleged that Israel is using a shadowy humanitarian group to force Palestinians out of Gaza, in what they decried as the latest form of ethnic cleansing to take place since October 2023.

On Thursday, a plane carrying 153 Palestinians from Gaza landed at South Africa's O.R. Tambo International Airport, but the plane was held on the tarmac for around 12 hours with passengers not allowed to disembark - triggering confusion and anger against local authorities.

Within hours, however, activists and South African authorities discovered several irregularities in the way the Palestinians' travel had been organised by a body called Al-Majd Europe.

Activists found that not only had the South African government been unaware of their arrival, but the evacuees themselves were not in possession of any documentation or paperwork to assist with their processing in the country.

The activists said that what was even more shocking, was that several Palestinians said they had embarked on the trip without fully knowing where they were going.

Read more: South African activists allege Israel used shadowy NGO to 'traffic' Palestinians from Gaza