Al-Majd’s operation to evacuate Palestinians from Gaza has sparked controversy, with claims of human trafficking and ties to a questionable Estonian-Israeli businessman.

Al-Majd, the organization behind the mysterious evacuation of 153 Palestinians from Gaza to South Africa, is seemingly led by an Estonian-Israeli man based in London, raising questions over whether it may be an Israeli shell company.

The organization was allegedly established in 2010 in Germany to provide humanitarian aid and education. However, it is not listed in the public Charity Register maintained by the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt).

Additionally, the email address provided on Al-Majd’s website bounced back with automated messages stating it does not exist when The Jerusalem Post checked on Sunday. Al Jazeera reported that it has no office at its registered address in Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem.

Haaretz reported that an older version of the website showed a logo for an Estonian company named Talent Globus, registered a year ago under a Mr. Tomer Janar Lind.

Although Talent Globus lists three other staff members aside from Lind, the Post could not find any matches for the listed individuals elsewhere on the Internet. Additionally, the social media addresses and the phone number listed were invalid.

Lind's LinkedIn page

According to Lind’s LinkedIn page, he founded a second company called Kalev Consulting in Doha, Qatar, in January 2025. Kalev Consulting claims to provide “relocation and travel support” and “government and NPO liaison,” but its phone number is invalid, and it lists its location as Dubai.

His LinkedIn also contains multiple posts about helping Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza dating back 10 months, when he wrote, “I’m considering creating a separate charity focused on supporting the evacuation of Palestinians for humanitarian purposes and promoting the Palestinian cause.”

Since then, Lind has claimed he was “able to assist a substantial number of Gazans with evacuation efforts and humanitarian aid” and that he had shifted “from recruitment into humanitarian support, a shift driven by a deep commitment to stand with Palestinians, especially those in Gaza, during crisis.”

A search of Lind led to the three dissolved companies in the UK with sparse details, and a fourth active company with overdue filings, which is set to be struck off. According to UK Government data, Lind was born in June 1989.

The nationality listed for his first company in 2015 was Estonian. Still, for his second and subsequent companies from 2017 onward, he is listed as Estonian-Israeli, indicating that he acquired Israeli citizenship between 2015 and 2017.

A family tree created by Lind on an online genealogy site was also discovered by the Post – the surnames of both parents are not Lind.

The Post called Lind’s British phone number, which it found on an online listing for Talent Globus, and asked whether he could confirm his involvement with Al-Majd. He replied that “an official statement will be released at a later date,” but that he had “no comment at this time.” He declined to provide further comment on other questions.

Returning to Al-Majd, the organization’s website now features a pop-up claiming it is “operating normally and has not been affected” and promising to continue with the “utmost professionalism.” It alluded to “false information” circulating, but its website forms are open as normal.

The only two listed employees are “Adnan, the Al-Quds humanitarian project coordinator,” and “Muayad, the Gaza humanitarian project manager.”

When the Post contacted both over WhatsApp using the numbers featured in the previous pop-up, neither responded.

An unnamed passenger on the flight to South Africa spoke to Al Jazeera via video (with blurring). He said he paid $6,000 for his family of three to be evacuated, and that the payment was made to bank accounts owned by individuals and not an organization. According to him, his group was the second to leave Gaza with Al-Majd. The first arrived in Indonesia in June, and his cohort was supposed to exit on August 20, but was delayed.

At 10 p.m. the day before departure, the passengers received a call from a private number telling them that they would be leaving at 5 a.m. the next day, and that buses would be waiting at a designated area in Gaza.

The interviewee noted that this was coordinated with the Israeli army, as otherwise the buses would not have been allowed in. From here, the passengers travelled through Rafah to the Kerem Shalom crossing, and on to Israel’s Ilan and Asaf Ramon Airport, where they took a Romanian plane to Nairobi. Their passports were not stamped, allegedly because of Israel’s non-recognition of a Palestinian state.

He also told Al Jazeera that the passengers knew nothing of their final destination.

The Post reached out to the CEO of the airline – FLYYO – as well as Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, for comment.

PA accuses Israel of human trafficking

According to the Palestinian Authority, there was no prior notification or coordination with South African authorities regarding the planeload of people.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it wants to “warn companies and entities that mislead our people, incite them to deportation or displacement, or engage in human trafficking, that they will bear legal consequences for their unlawful actions and will be subject to prosecution and accountability.”

“The ministry calls on our people, especially those in the Gaza Strip, to exercise caution and not fall victim to human trafficking, blood traders, or displacement agents.”