Pretoria: South Africa is investigating how 153 Palestinians from Gaza arrived in Johannesburg on a chartered flight this week, after Israeli authorities claimed the group had been cleared for entry by Pretoria before departure.
The arrival sparked confusion at OR Tambo airport, where passengers were held on board for hours due to missing Israeli exit stamps.
Israeli Army Says South Africa Approved Entry
A spokesperson for COGAT, the Israeli body handling civil affairs in Palestinian territories, told France 24 that Gaza residents on the flight were permitted to leave only after Israel received confirmation from a third country that it would take them in.
The spokesperson later clarified to the publication that the third country was South Africa. As per the report, the admission marked a shift, noting that Israel’s position was that South Africa had invited the group and later backtracked amid domestic backlash.
Twelve Hour Delay on Arrival
The passengers remained inside the aircraft for around 12 hours after landing because their travel documents did not feature departure stamps issued by Israel. South Africa’s home affairs ministry eventually allowed them to enter the country when a humanitarian group, Gift of the Givers, offered to house them. The NGO told local media that it did not know who had chartered this flight or an earlier one that brought 176 Gazans on 28 October.
Questions Over Who Organised the Transfers
An unnamed Israeli official told AFP that the organisation coordinating the evacuation had submitted third country visas for all passengers. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters that the group appeared to have been “mysteriously put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and came here”.
The home affairs ministry said that 130 of the travellers were admitted into South Africa while 23 boarded onward flights. COGAT spokesperson Shimi Zuaretz said the body facilitates departures for medical patients, dual nationals, their relatives and those with visas to other countries. He added that more than 40,000 Gaza residents have left since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
South Africa continues to maintain its position supporting the Palestinian cause and previously filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
