South Africa says it will no longer accept chartered flights carrying Palestinian passengers following the disputed arrival of 153 people from Gaza last week—a development Pretoria describes as part of a troubling attempt to relocate Palestinians out of their homeland.
Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said the flight appeared to be linked to “a clear agenda to cleanse Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank,” a claim Israeli authorities have not publicly addressed. Israel, however, maintains that South Africa had initially agreed to receive the passengers.
The Palestinian embassy in Pretoria also distanced itself from the operation, saying the group flew out of Israel’s Ramon Airport and entered South Africa via Nairobi without proper coordination. The embassy accused an unidentified organization of exploiting desperate families, collecting money from them, and arranging their travel through irregular channels.
The controversial flight arrived Thursday at OR Tambo International Airport, where passengers remained on board for more than 10 hours after authorities refused them entry due to missing departure stamps. Although Palestinians can enter South Africa visa-free for up to 90 days, the lack of documentation raised red flags. After the intervention of a local charity, the group was allowed to disembark, with President Cyril Ramaphosa saying the decision was made out of “empathy and compassion.” Twenty-three later left on other flights, leaving 130 to enter the country.
Lamola, speaking during a briefing on preparations for the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit, suggested that similar flights had been sent to other countries, describing the pattern as “orchestrated.” He declined to provide specifics but confirmed the matter is under investigation.
Just two weeks earlier, another plane carrying 176 Palestinians also landed in Johannesburg, with some passengers continuing onward to other destinations.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly discussed the “voluntary” resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza—an idea widely rejected by Palestinian leaders, human rights groups, and much of the international community. South Africa’s firm alignment with the Palestinian cause dates back to its anti-apartheid struggle, and public demonstrations in support of Palestine have grown since the war in Gaza intensified.
Israeli military coordination office Cogat stated that the passengers left Gaza only after a third country agreed to receive them. On Monday, it named South Africa as that country—contradicting Pretoria’s claim of being blindsided.
The dispute comes amid South Africa’s longstanding criticism of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. In 2023, Pretoria filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, a charge Israel dismisses as “baseless.”