South Africa has announced it will no longer accept chartered flights carrying Palestinians, following the disputed arrival of 153 passengers from Gaza earlier this month.
Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola described the flight as part of “a clear agenda to cleanse Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank.” Israeli authorities have yet to respond to these allegations but stated that South Africa had previously agreed to receive the passengers.
The Palestinian embassy in South Africa said the group departed from Israel’s Ramon Airport via Nairobi, Kenya, “without prior coordination.” It added that an “unregistered and misleading organization” exploited the situation, misleading families, collecting funds, and facilitating travel irregularly. The embassy said it is working with South African authorities to resolve the issue.
The flight landed at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday, where passengers were initially denied entry and remained on the plane for over 10 hours. South African officials explained that the delay was due to missing departure stamps in passports, although Palestinians can travel to South Africa visa-free for 90 days. A local charity intervened, and the passengers were eventually allowed to disembark. Twenty-three had already departed for other destinations, leaving 130 to enter the country. President Cyril Ramaphosa described the decision as one driven by “empathy and compassion.”
Speaking ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit, Lamola suggested that the flight may be part of a wider, coordinated effort to relocate Palestinians to various countries. He said the matter is under investigation. A similar flight carrying 176 Palestinians arrived in Johannesburg two weeks prior, with some passengers moving on to other nations with assistance from the Gift of the Givers charity.
The issue is connected to ongoing discussions by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the “voluntary” resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza a proposal criticized by Palestinians, human rights organizations, and members of the international community.
President Ramaphosa noted that the flight’s routing via Nairobi appeared irregular, while Israel’s military authority, Cogat, confirmed the passengers left Gaza after approval from a third country, naming South Africa as the recipient.
South Africa has a long history of supporting Palestinian statehood, dating back to Nelson Mandela’s era, and has strongly criticized Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Large pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been held across the country, alongside smaller pro-Israel rallies. In 2023, South Africa filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of genocide in Gaza a claim Israel has dismissed as “baseless.”
