South Africa Probes ‘Mysterious’ Flight Carrying 153 Palestinian Refugees
ISTANBUL: South African authorities have launched an investigation into a “mysterious” chartered flight that brought 153 Palestinian refugees into the country without proper documentation, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday.
The group arrived on Thursday via Nairobi, Kenya, and was initially denied entry at OR Tambo International Airport because they lacked required interviews, departure stamps, and travel documentation. The refugees remained on the airport tarmac for more than 10 hours before being granted a 90-day visa exemption.
“These are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and came here,” Ramaphosa said, noting that the intelligence services and the Department of Home Affairs are investigating the circumstances of their arrival.
The Border Management Authority (BMA) said officials noticed serious documentation gaps, including missing departure stamps and the absence of return tickets or accommodation details in South Africa. Before clearance was granted, 23 of the refugees had already boarded onward flights to other destinations.
The Palestinian Embassy in South Africa said the group arrived “from Gaza via Ramon Airport through Nairobi without any prior coordination” and accused an “unregistered and misleading organization” of exploiting desperate families by collecting money, organizing travel improperly, and later attempting to avoid responsibility.
Humanitarian group Gift of the Givers expressed alarm over the situation. Its founder, Imtiaz Sooliman, told South Africa’s SABC that the refugees may have been transported through a coordinated scheme involving Israeli-linked intermediaries.
“This seems to be a coordinated effort from Israel to carry out a process of ethnic cleansing,” Sooliman said, claiming refugees paid high fees to “front organizations” before being taken to Israel’s Ramon military base and flown abroad without exit stamps.
He noted that passengers on the first flight “didn’t even know where they were going,” leaving many disoriented and distressed upon arrival in foreign countries.
One of the passengers, Loay Abu Saif, told Al Jazeera that Israel helped facilitate the transfer of the 153 Palestinians but did not disclose the final destination. He said their journey lasted more than 24 hours and involved a plane change, describing it as a “trip of suffering.”
Abu Saif said families were selected through an online registration form circulated on social media, requiring valid Palestinian travel documents and Israeli security clearance. They were instructed to carry no belongings except essential documents and were later transported from Rafah to the Karem Abu Salem crossing for checks before being moved to Ramon Airport.
He also confirmed that their travel documents were not stamped by Israeli authorities. The cost of the trip was reportedly between US$1,400 and US$2,000 per person.
This was the second plane carrying Palestinian refugees fleeing the war in Gaza to arrive in South Africa. The first flight landed late last month with 176 refugees.
South Africa, an outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights, has been facing mounting public pressure to address the irregularities and possible exploitation surrounding these transfers.
The investigation is ongoing.