TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, stated on Friday, November 14, 2025, that authorities are investigating how a chartered plane carrying 153 Palestinian refugees from Gaza entered the country without the required documents.
As reported by TRT World, he even referred to the situation as "mysterious."
"These are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and came here," Ramaphosa told journalists, adding that intelligence agencies and the Ministry of Home Affairs are investigating the incident.
According to Anadolu, they arrived from Kenya to seek asylum after being previously denied entry due to failing interviews and lacking an official departure stamp in their passports. The individuals departed from Israel's Ramon Airport, transited in Nairobi, and then continued their journey to Johannesburg.
After over 10 hours on the tarmac, officials issued 90-day visa waivers to the passengers, although 23 people had already continued their flights before the permits were issued.
This episode has sparked public outrage in South Africa, a country long known for its strong support for Palestinian rights.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed gratitude for South Africa's decision. In their statement, the ministry mentioned, "We express our appreciation and respect for the sovereign decision to grant entry visas to a number of our people from the Gaza Strip who arrived at South Africa’s airport from Israel’s Ramon Airport via the Kenyan capital Nairobi, despite their arrival without any prior notification or coordination with the country’s authorities."
Human Trafficking Warning
Palestine stated that it has instructed its embassy in South Africa to closely coordinate with local authorities.
Meanwhile, South Africa has been a strong supporter of Palestinian rights. The country filed a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on December 29, 2023, accusing Tel Aviv of failing to fulfill its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also warned any entities or individuals who deceive Gaza residents into moving to another country or exploit the crisis conditions for human trafficking. They stated that, "Those engaging in such practices will bear the legal consequences of their unlawful practices and will be subject to prosecution and accountability."
The ministry also urged Palestinian families, particularly those in Gaza, to be cautious of human trafficking networks and unofficial parties offering relocation.
Israel Facilitating Expulsion
Imtiaz Sooliman, Head of the Gift of the Givers Humanitarian Organization, told SABC that the situation appears "horrific." He accused Israel of coordinating such flights as part of efforts to expel Palestinian residents from Gaza.
Sooliman stated that the refugees paid high fees to intermediaries and were moved to the Ramon military base before being flown abroad.
According to BBC, Israel's military liaison body, Cogat, stated that the refugees left Gaza after receiving "approval from a third country," without mentioning the country's name.
A passenger, Loay Abu Saif, told Al Jazeera that Israel facilitated the transfer, and he and his family did not know their destination. He described the over 24-hour journey as "a journey full of suffering."
He mentioned that organizers demanded valid Palestinian documents, Israeli security clearance, and payments of $1,400-2,000 per person, instructing families not to bring any belongings other than documents.
The group was transported by bus through Rafah to Karem Abu Salem before being taken to the Ramon Airport, where passports were not stamped.
The arrival of Palestinian citizens by plane on Thursday, November 13, 2025, marked their second flight to escape the war in Gaza to reach South Africa. The first flight brought 176 individuals last month.
According to Al Jazeera, details regarding the Gaza-South Africa transit scheme were run by a nonprofit organization. Activists believe that Israel is encouraging the relocation of Gaza residents by aiding them to settle in another country. This situation arises amid worsening refugee conditions.
Recent data indicates that Israel's war in Gaza has killed at least 69,187 Palestinian residents and injured 170,703 individuals since October 2023. Approximately 20,000 of the casualties were children.
1,139 Israeli citizens died in Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, and around 200 people were taken hostage.
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