JOHANNESBURG – More than 150 Palestinians were finally permitted to leave their aircraft Thursday evening after being detained on the plane for 12 hours at South Africa’s main international airport, authorities confirmed.
The chartered flight carrying 153 Palestinians landed at O.R. Tambo International Airport shortly after 08:00 on Thursday, but passengers were immediately prevented from disembarking by border police due to documentation issues.
Border police cited the absence of “customary departure stamps” in the passengers’ passports as the reason for the extended detention. Officials also noted that none of the Palestinians had “expressed an intention to apply for asylum” upon arrival.
The 12-hour standoff was resolved only after the humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers stepped in to guarantee accommodation for the passengers, prompting the Home Affairs Ministry to authorise their disembarkation.
Of the 153 passengers, 130 entered South Africa while 23 remained at the airport awaiting connections to other destinations, according to border police statements.
The aircraft was operated by South African airline Global Airways on a charter flight from Kenya, though authorities have not disclosed the specific conditions under which the Palestinians departed or the complete flight route.
Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, told the SABC that the identity of the flight’s sponsor remains unknown. He revealed this was the second such arrival, following a similar charter flight on 28 October that brought 176 Palestinians to Johannesburg.
“The families of this first group told us yesterday their family members are coming on a second plane and nobody knew about that plane,” Sooliman explained. “The government has to investigate how people are coming on chartered planes without stamps. Israel didn’t stamp their passport so they are travelling sort of illegally.”
The incident occurs against the backdrop of South Africa’s strong support for Palestinian causes. Despite hosting sub-Saharan Africa’s largest Jewish community, the South African government has been a vocal critic of Israeli policies.
In 2023, South Africa filed a landmark case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, formally accusing the nation of genocide in Gaza.
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