Palestinians on South Africa-bound plane had approval to enter 'third country', Israel says

Mystery surrounds flight carrying 153 Palestinians who arrived without proper documentation

A photo taken on board the chartered plane carrying the Palestinians from Gaza to South Africa. Photo: Gift of the Givers

Israel has said 153 Palestinians who unexpectedly flew into South Africa without proper documentation were allowed to travel after receiving approval to enter an unnamed third country.

The arrival of their aircraft in Johannesburg via Kenya on Thursday led to the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa saying it seemed like the Gazans “were being flushed out”. His remarks came amid fears that Israel is attempting to push Palestinians out of the enclave.

After landing, the passengers were kept on board their plane for 12 hours because they did not have departure stamps from Israel in their passports, South African border police said.

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On Saturday, Shimi Zuaretz, a spokesman for Cogat, the Israeli body that runs civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, told the AFP news agency that the passengers had been cleared to leave Gaza “after Cogat received approval from a third country to receive them”. But he did not name the country.

Following their wait on the tarmac, all 153 Palestinians were eventually permitted to disembark by the South African authorities when an NGO said it would provide them with accommodation. The Home Affairs Ministry said 130 of the group entered South Africa, while the remaining 23 took onward flights to other destinations.

The NGO that provided them with accommodation, Gift of the Givers, told South African media it did not know who had chartered the plane, or a previous one that brought 176 Gazans last month.

Another Israeli official, who did not wish to be identified, told AFP that the organisation co-ordinating the flight had submitted visas to Cogat for all the passengers that allowed them entry into a third country.

Mr Zuaretz said Cogat routinely assists with the departure of Gaza residents through Israel to receiving countries, including patients requiring medical treatment, dual citizens and their family members “or those possessing visas to third countries”.

Israel “bases its decisions solely on requests received from foreign countries”, he added, saying that more than 40,000 Gaza residents had departed in this way since the beginning of the Gaza war.

South Africa, which has the largest Jewish community in sub-Saharan Africa, has largely been supportive of the Palestinian cause. The government filed a case against Israel with the International Court of Justice in 2023, accusing it of genocide in Gaza, claims which Israel denies.

“These are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and came here,” South African President Ramaphosa said on Friday. “Even though they do not have the necessary documents and papers, these are people from a strife-torn, a war-torn country, and out of compassion, out of empathy, we must receive them and be able to deal with the situation that they are facing,” he added.

South Africa's intelligence services are now investigating who was behind the chartered plane, Mr Ramaphosa said. The Palestinian embassy in South Africa said in a statement that the flight was arranged by “an unregistered and misleading organisation”.

That group “exploited the tragic humanitarian conditions of our people in Gaza, deceived families, collected money from them, and facilitated their travel in an irregular and irresponsible manner”, the embassy added, without naming any group. “This entity later attempted to disown any responsibility once complications arose.”

An Israeli military official speaking anonymously to the AP news agency said an organisation called Al Majd arranged the flight. The official said Israel escorted buses organised by Al Majd that brought Palestinians from a meeting point in Gaza to the Kerem Shalom border crossing. More buses from Al Majd then brought them to Ramon Airport in Israel, where they were flown out, the official said.

The secretive nature of the flight has raised fears among rights groups that it was part of an attempt by the Israeli government to push Palestinians out of Gaza. Two South African NGOs have claimed Al Majd is affiliated with Israel and is working to remove Palestinians, without offering evidence.

Al Majd describes itself on its website as a Jerusalem-based humanitarian organisation founded in 2010 that provides aid and rescue efforts to Muslim communities in conflict zones.