Documents Reveal 'Mossad' Plot to Displace Thousands of Gazans to Paraguay: History Repeats Itself

A lengthy investigative report by journalist Ben Reiff, deputy editor of the Hebrew magazine '972+', uncovered astonishing details of a secret plan led by the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency in the late 1960s. The plan aimed to displace tens of thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Paraguay in South America, in an attempt to change the demographic composition of the occupied territory.

The investigation was based on a podcast series titled 'Palestinians in Paraguay' and official archival documents, which revealed an attempt to expel 60,000 Palestinians. The details of this plan intersect chillingly with current Israeli policies towards the Gaza Strip, especially after two years of war and widespread destruction currently witnessed in the Strip.

The chapters of deception began in September 1969, when the Mossad lured about 20 young Palestinian men to travel through an Israeli airport, deceiving them into believing they were heading to Brazil for work with attractive salaries. The fictitious program was managed by a travel agency called 'Batra,' and promised salaries of up to $3,000 per month and the possibility of their families joining them later.

Instead of arriving in Brazil, the young men found themselves in Paraguay's capital, Asunción, under the rule of dictator Alfredo Stroessner, without work, housing, or knowledge of the local language. The investigation confirmed that these men were stripped of their true identities and given identity cards with random professions before being left in completely isolated rural areas.

Talal Al-Dimasi, one of the survivors of that deception, recounts how he was explicitly threatened with the expulsion of his entire family if he did not join the program, describing it as a threat disguised as economic opportunities. Documents reveal that Israel agreed to pay $33 for each displaced person to the Paraguayan government, with an advance payment of $350,000 for the first 10,000 people.

The plan aimed to empty the Gaza Strip of a large percentage of its youth, as the population at the time did not exceed 400,000. Although the actual number of deportees remained unclear, Israeli documents dated May 1969 confirm that the project targeted a wide segment of Palestinian society in Gaza.

The operation did not last long due to the resistance of the displaced themselves and the harsh conditions they faced, which led some of them to flee to neighboring countries. In a dramatic turning point, Talal Al-Dimasi and his companion Khaled Kassab stormed the Israeli embassy in Asunción in 1970 to confront the ambassador, resulting in the death of the ambassador's secretary and injuries to others.

This clash caused a wide media uproar, and despite attempts to portray it as a political assassination, the trial revealed to the world the details of the secret 'Paraguay plot.' This public revelation forced the occupation authorities to completely halt the program, after the two young Palestinians spent years in prison during which they were subjected to assassination attempts.

The investigation links these historical events to current Israeli policies that seek to maximize control over the land while reducing the number of Palestinians. The author points out that this approach has continued since the Nakba of 1948 and the Naksa of 1967, where the strategy of displacement remains present in the Israeli security and political mindset.

These plans resurfaced strongly after the events of October 7, 2023, when Israeli officials put forward proposals for the deportation of Gaza residents under the guise of 'voluntary migration.' The investigation referred to statements by ministers such as Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir explicitly calling for the establishment of offices to organize the emigration of Palestinians abroad.

The investigation quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that the destruction of homes in Gaza would lead to a clear outcome: emigration. '972+' magazine revealed recent operations suspected of being an extension of this approach, including organizing trips to transport Palestinians from Gaza to various countries without prior coordination with those countries.

Last November, the investigation tracked a mysterious flight that transported 153 Palestinians from Ramon Airport in the Negev to South Africa via Kenya. The passengers did not know their final destination and were not provided with accommodation, and it turned out that the flight was organized by a group called 'Al-Majd Europe' owned by an Israeli-Estonian businessman with an official license.

Despite the intense bombing and the destruction of 90% of the infrastructure in Gaza to force residents to leave, the investigation confirms that the mass displacement project is facing a dismal failure. The current Palestinian steadfastness recalls the failure of the 'Paraguay plan' in the 1960s, as Gazans refuse to leave their land despite all attempts to make the Strip uninhabitable.

The investigation concludes that the 'Paraguay plan' was not an isolated historical incident, but an early model for policies that are repeated in different forms to this day. Despite Israeli insistence on reducing the Palestinian presence, history proves that attempts at mass displacement always collide with the unwavering Palestinian will to survive.

By my actions, I saved 60,000 Palestinians who would have been deported to Paraguay… They remained in their homeland.