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Chartered level carrying radical of Palestinian passengers was 2nd to onshore successful South Africa successful caller weeks.
Published On 14 Nov 2025
South Africa has allowed much than 150 Palestinian hose passengers to disembark, aft they were kept connected a level for astir 12 hours by the country’s borderline police, authorities said.
South Africa’s Ministry of Home Affairs authorised the passengers to get disconnected the level connected Thursday nighttime aft a section humanitarian organisation guaranteed to supply the passengers with accommodation during their enactment successful South Africa if needed.
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“Given that Palestinians are eligible for 90-day visa-exempt question to South Africa, they person been processed arsenic per mean and volition beryllium required to adhere to each conditions of entry,” South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) said successful a connection precocious connected Thursday.
The chartered level carrying 153 Palestinians landed soon aft 8am (06:00 GMT) connected Thursday greeting astatine OR Tambo International Airport, which serves the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria.
According to the BMA, the Palestinian passengers were not allowed to disembark from the craft aft it was discovered they “did not person the customary departure stamps successful their passports”. The passengers besides did not bespeak however agelong they intended to enactment successful South Africa oregon the code of their accommodation, the BMA said.
“Following their nonaccomplishment to walk the migration trial and fixed that nary of the travellers expressed an volition to use for asylum, they were initially denied entry,” it added.
News that the Palestinians were forced to hold connected the tarmac astatine the airdrome for hours reportedly caused outrage among the nationalist successful South Africa, which is simply a beardown protagonist of the Palestinian origin and has led the charge astatine the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israel for perpetrating genocide successful Gaza.
— The Border Management Authority SA (@TheBMA_SA) November 13, 2025
The bid to yet let the Palestinian passengers to permission the level came aft the country’s Home Affairs Ministry received a committedness from a humanitarian assistance organisation – Gift of the Givers – to accommodate the visitors during their stay.
A full of 130 Palestinians subsequently entered the country, portion 23 transferred from South Africa to different destinations, from the airport, according to the BMA.
The AFP quality bureau said the level was a charter formation operated by South African hose Global Airways and had travelled from Kenya.
Founder of Gift of the Givers, Imtiaz Sooliman, told nationalist broadcaster SABC that helium did not cognize who had chartered the craft and that a archetypal level carrying 176 Palestinians had landed successful Johannesburg connected October 28, with immoderate of the passengers departing for different countries.
“The families of this archetypal radical told america yesterday their household members are coming connected a 2nd plane, and cipher knew astir that plane,” Sooliman said.
“Those radical are truly distraught coming from 2 years of genocide,” Sooliman said of the passengers.
Based connected “feedback” from those who person arrived already successful South Africa, Sooliman said Israel appears to beryllium “removing radical from Gaza … and sending them connected chartered planes” without stamping their passports.
“Israel deliberately did not stamp the passports of these mediocre radical to exacerbate their suffering successful a overseas country,” helium added successful a station connected societal media.
Other humanitarian groups are besides present offering to supply enactment for the Palestinian visitors, helium added.
Nigel Branken, a South African societal idiosyncratic who assisted those held connected the plane, said the passengers from Gaza had told him of being ordered by Israeli authorities to permission each their belongings down earlier boarding an unmarked level astatine an Israeli aerial unit base.
“Very intelligibly each the marks of Israel progressive successful this cognition to instrumentality people…to displace them,” Branken told Al Jazeera.
BREAKING NEWS | About 160 Palestinian refugees person landed astatine OR Tambo International Airport this morning. The Gift of the Givers' Imtiaz Sooliman says their passports don't person stamps, and among them are children and large women. pic.twitter.com/X68TXjGpgn
— SABC News (@SABCNews) November 13, 2025
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