South Africa Probes ‘Mysterious’ Flight Carrying 153 Palestinian Refugees Without Required Documents

South African authorities have launched an investigation into a chartered flight that brought 153 Palestinian refugees into the country under unexplained circumstances and without the proper entry documentation, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Friday.

“These are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed through Nairobi and came here,” Ramaphosa said, confirming that the intelligence services and the Department of Home Affairs are probing the incident.

The refugees arrived at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday but were initially denied entry after failing mandatory interviews and lacking standard departure stamps in their passports. They remained on the tarmac for more than 10 hours while officials assessed their case, sparking public outrage in a country known for strong support for Palestinian rights.

Home Affairs said Border Management Authority officers flagged multiple irregularities, including missing departure stamps, the absence of return tickets and unclear accommodation details. Although South Africa eventually granted a 90-day visa exemption to the group, 23 of them had already boarded onward flights to other destinations by the time approval was given.

The Palestinian Embassy in Pretoria said the refugees had travelled “from Gaza via Ramon Airport through Nairobi” without any prior coordination. It accused an “unregistered and misleading organization” of exploiting Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, deceiving families, collecting money and facilitating the journey irresponsibly before abandoning responsibility when complications occurred.

Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of the Gift of the Givers humanitarian group, described the flight as “very sinister,” alleging it formed part of a coordinated Israeli effort to force Palestinians out of Gaza. He claimed families paid high fees to front organizations linked to Israel and were transported through the Ramon military base without being informed of their final destination.

However, Israeli military body COGAT told the BBC that the group left Gaza only after COGAT received approval from a third country willing to receive them, though it did not name the country.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, passenger Loay Abu Saif said Israel facilitated the group’s departure. He recounted a 24-hour journey involving multiple plane changes, describing it as a “trip of suffering.” According to him, applicants were chosen through online registration that prioritized families with children and required security clearance from Israel. He added that travellers paid between $1,400 and $2,000 per person, carried only essential documents and received no indication of their destination until shortly before departure.

Abu Saif said the group travelled from Rafah to the Kerem Abu Salem crossing before being taken to Israel’s Ramon Airport, where their documents were not stamped.

This was the second flight to transport Palestinians fleeing the ongoing Gaza genocide to South Africa. The first plane, carrying 176 people, arrived late last month at OR Tambo International Airport.