AP found that Ad Kan, an Israeli group led by Gilad Ach, covertly organized at least three flights that moved Palestinians from Gaza to countries including Indonesia and South Africa. Passengers—some of whom paid up to $2,000—often said they did not know who arranged their trips and chiefly sought safety from dire conditions. Documents and interviews show the flights were routed through Al-Majd to obscure Israeli links, prompting accusations from South Africa that the operations were intended to "cleanse" Palestinians; Ad Kan calls them humanitarian.
AP Investigation: Israeli Group Ad Kan Secretly Organized Evacuation Flights From Gaza
Palestinians who traveled to South Africa via a charter flight organized by an Israeli group whose founder supported U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to resettle Palestinians from Gaza stand in their temporary flat in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
An Associated Press investigation found that Ad Kan, an Israeli group founded by former soldiers and intelligence officers, secretly organized at least three flights that relocated Palestinians from Gaza to destinations including Indonesia and South Africa. Documents, contracts, passenger lists and interviews with participants and organizers raise questions about the motives, the role of an intermediary charity and whether the departures were truly voluntary.
A Palestinian man who traveled to South Africa via a charter flight organized by an Israeli group whose founder supported U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to resettle Palestinians from Gaza sits in his temporary flat in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
What the AP Found
Since May, at least three planes carrying Gaza residents who had signed up to leave the besieged enclave landed in Indonesia and South Africa. Evidence reviewed by AP—including a contract, spreadsheets of passengers, text messages and financial records—shows Ad Kan worked through a company called Al-Majd to arrange the flights and obscure direct Israeli involvement.
A Palestinian man who traveled to South Africa via a charter flight organized by an Israeli group whose founder supported U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to resettle Palestinians from Gaza, shows his boarding passes in his temporary flat in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Passengers and Costs
AP interviewed six Palestinians who used the service. Passengers said they paid up to $2,000 per person via bank transfers or cryptocurrency. Many said they learned about the program through online ads, social media or referrals and that the Al-Majd website listed destinations such as South Africa, Indonesia and Malaysia without letting passengers choose their final country.
Palestinians who traveled to South Africa via a charter flight organized by an Israeli group whose founder supported U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to resettle Palestinians from Gaza stand in their temporary flat in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
"There was famine, and we had no options. My children were almost killed," a 37-year-old Palestinian who arrived in South Africa said, speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.
Organizers and Contracts
AP obtained a contract showing American-Israeli businessman Moti Kahana was engaged to organize a flight for a minimum payment of $750,000. Kahana said planning later shifted to a different route and his participation ended. He told AP that Ad Kan’s founder, Gilad Ach, characterized Al-Majd as run by both Arabs and Israelis but said Ach wanted to downplay overt Israeli ties.
Palestinians who traveled to South Africa via a charter flight organized by an Israeli group whose founder supported U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to resettle Palestinians from Gaza stand in their temporary flat in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Politics, Denials and Concerns
Gilad Ach has publicly supported proposals to encourage Gazans to leave and circulated ads promoting a concept of "voluntary migration." South Africa's foreign minister called the flights a "clear agenda to cleanse out the Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank." Ach denied the allegation to AP, calling the flights humanitarian and saying many passengers requested help and some paid part of the cost.
Human rights groups and critics say departures from a devastated, largely uninhabitable Gaza cannot be considered fully voluntary. They emphasize that people who leave must retain the right to return—an issue AP says organizers and Israeli authorities did not answer when asked.
Unanswered Questions
Netanyahu’s office and COGAT, the Israeli defense body that manages Palestinian departures, declined to comment to AP on the flights or whether people who left would be allowed to return. Families who used Al-Majd told AP they were unaware of Ad Kan’s role and said their primary concern was getting loved ones to safety.
Reporting Credits: Frankel in Jerusalem, Ezzidin in Cairo and Pollard in New York. Additional contributions from Renata Brito (Barcelona), Randy Herschaft (New York), Natalie Melzer (Nahariya), Michelle Gumede (Johannesburg) and Gerald Imray (Cape Town).
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this reporting. For more AP philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
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