An Al Jazeera Arabic investigation has revealed a disturbing Israeli-backed scheme aimed at forcibly emptying the Gaza Strip of its Palestinian population through what investigators describe as a policy of “soft displacement,” carried out under humanitarian cover and shielded from international accountability.

According to the report, Israeli authorities, in coordination with shadowy intermediaries, shell companies, and deceptive charity fronts, have facilitated the relocation of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza to third countries in Africa and Asia. The investigation makes clear that this is not a voluntary humanitarian effort, but a calculated strategy to depopulate Gaza amid an ongoing genocide, siege, and systematic destruction of civilian life.

At the center of the operation is an entity calling itself “Al-Majd Europe,” which falsely claims to be a humanitarian non-profit organization. Al Jazeera’s digital forensic investigation found that the group has no legal registration, no physical headquarters, and no verifiable humanitarian activity. Instead, it functions as a digital façade designed to collect sensitive personal data from desperate Gazans through informal messaging platforms, exploiting their suffering and vulnerability under Israel’s blockade and bombardment.

The investigation also exposes the role of Israel’s so-called “Voluntary Migration Office,” a government body established under orders from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. Far from being neutral, the office is described as an institutional tool to normalize displacement, created alongside policy shifts encouraging the removal of Gaza’s population. Since its establishment, Israeli authorities have reportedly approved nearly 95 percent of exit requests, underscoring that the process is state-driven rather than individual choice.

Al Jazeera documented that at least 7,000 Palestinians have already been forced out of Gaza through the Kerem Shalom (Karm Abu Salem) Crossing. Many were transferred via Israel’s Ramon Airport to undisclosed destinations, while others were pushed through Jordan via the Allenby Bridge. Investigators tracked suspicious flight patterns from Ramon Airport, revealing secret transit routes to African and Asian countries, far from the Palestinians’ homeland.

The report identifies Tomer Lind, an Israeli-Estonian businessman, as a key operative coordinating logistics. Lind allegedly manages a web of shell companies with no real employees or commercial activity, serving only to provide bureaucratic cover for flights and paperwork. These companies give a false impression of legality while enabling what the investigation describes as ethnic cleansing by administrative means.

Further evidence revealed that Al-Majd Europe’s social media accounts were created only between 2024 and 2025, contradicting its claims of being founded in 2010. Investigators found fabricated testimonials, stolen images, and fake digital identities, all designed to legitimize the displacement effort and deceive both Palestinians and international observers.

The investigation concludes that this so-called “soft displacement” is a deliberate Israeli strategy to achieve through coercion and deception what cannot be achieved openly: the removal of Palestinians from Gaza. Under conditions of siege, starvation, massacre, and total infrastructure collapse, any notion of “voluntary” migration is rendered meaningless.

Palestinian legal experts and human rights organizations warn that this operation constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law, which strictly prohibits the forcible transfer of an occupied population—whether through direct force or indirect pressure such as starvation, fear, and destruction. They stress that displacement carried out under genocide cannot be considered consent.

As global outrage grows over Israel’s crimes in Gaza, the Al Jazeera investigation adds to mounting evidence that Israel’s war is not only about destruction, but about permanent demographic change. Palestinian voices continue to demand international accountability, insisting that Gaza’s people will not be erased, displaced, or silenced—no matter how sophisticated the mechanisms of oppression become. (ILKHA)