After a 12-hour ordeal on the tarmac, 153 Palestinians are finally allowed to disembark in South Africa, with humanitarian aid groups stepping in to provide support and shelter. Picture Credits: News24
By Aisha Zardad
JOHANNESBURG — There were tears, relief, and visible exhaustion at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday night as 153 Palestinian passengers finally stepped off a chartered flight after being held on board for nearly 12 hours.
Many of the travellers — families, elderly passengers, and young children — arrived from Gaza with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Some clutched small plastic packets or documents given to them during their journey. Others held onto one another silently, still unsure of what awaited them.
The Global Airways flight, which had transited through Nairobi, landed after 8am. But passengers were prevented from disembarking when border officials discovered that none of their passports had Israeli departure stamps, leaving authorities uncertain about how they had been cleared to leave Gaza.
Late on Thursday evening, the Border Management Authority confirmed the group could enter the country after a humanitarian intervention.
“Given that Palestinians are eligible for 90-day visa-exempt travel to South Africa, they have been processed as per normal,” the BMA said.
Several passengers described the wait on the aircraft as agonising. Some had gone nearly a full day without proper food. Mothers attempted to soothe crying children with water and biscuits. One elderly man, wrapped in a thin grey jacket, said he had been afraid the plane would be forced to turn back.
Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers agreed to provide accommodation for those who needed it — a pledge that finally opened the doors for the passengers to leave the aircraft.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said his administration would investigate the unusual circumstances surrounding the flight. “These are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and came here,” he said. He emphasized that their entry was granted out of compassion: “It does seem like they were being flushed out.”
For many on board, the emotional weight of the journey was clear. Several passengers said they only learned they were in South Africa when the cabin doors opened. One young father said he had carried his five-year-old daughter through checkpoints, explosions still echoing behind them days earlier. A middle-aged woman said she left her home with nothing — “No bag, no clothes, no photos — nothing.”
Most of the group are expected to apply for asylum, though 23 passengers immediately continued their travel to other destinations.
Gift of the Givers founder, Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman, said even his organisation had not been informed in advance of the second flight. “Nobody knew about that plane. These people are really distraught coming from two years of genocide.” He said many passengers told him that Israeli authorities collected their passports but deliberately avoided stamping them.
Accounts emerging from Gaza suggest the journey began when Palestinians registered through an online platform called Al-Majd Europe. After providing their details, they were instructed to board buses at a designated spot in Gaza City.
These buses reportedly travelled through Israeli-controlled zones to the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing. From there, passengers said they were taken to an Israeli Air Force base where they boarded an unmarked aircraft.
South African social worker Nigel Branken, who supported the group at the airport, shared what passengers told him: “They said they were ordered to leave all their belongings behind. Very clearly, all the marks of Israel involved in this operation.”
Additional regional reporting indicated that reaching certain checkpoints in Gaza would have been impossible without Israeli military coordination. COGAT — the Israeli authority governing civilian movements — stated only that Israel is “facilitating those who wish to leave”.
As the passengers disembarked, volunteers and aid workers provided blankets, water, and warm drinks. Some South Africans waiting in the terminal applauded quietly; others offered hugs or helped guide disoriented travellers through the arrivals hall.
Several humanitarian organisations have since stepped forward to offer support, counselling, and temporary accommodation.
Authorities are now working to establish:
• who organised the chartered flights
• how passengers were moved out of Gaza
• why departure documentation was missing
• whether additional groups may be flown out under similar circumstances
For now, 153 Palestinians are safe on South African soil — uncertain of what comes next, but out of immediate danger for the first time in months.
