Johannesburg – Authorities have announced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrival of 153 Palestinian individuals who landed at OR Tambo International Airport without proper documentation. The passengers, who arrived on a chartered flight via Kenya, were detained on the aircraft for approximately 12 hours before most were granted entry.
Border officials reported that the group lacked standard travel records, including exit stamps from their point of origin and confirmed accommodation details. None had filed for asylum upon arrival. After an extended period on the tarmac, during which a visiting pastor described conditions as severely overheated with distressed children aboard, humanitarian organizations provided assistance. Subsequently, 130 individuals were admitted under a routine 90-day visa waiver. The remaining 23 passengers, who held visas for other nations, were permitted to continue their journeys.
The origin of their travel remains unclear. Palestinian residents of Gaza and the West Bank face significant restrictions on international movement.
In a statement, the nation’s president confirmed the group was admitted on compassionate grounds but emphasized that the incident requires scrutiny. “We need to examine how this occurred, where their journey began, and why they were brought here,” he told press.
A local disaster relief organization noted this is the second such flight from the region to arrive within a fortnight. According to the group’s founder, the passengers were unaware of their destination until transiting through Kenya and had been misled by an unregistered entity that collected payments from families.
The Palestinian diplomatic mission condemned the arrangement, stating that an irresponsible organization exploited vulnerable civilians, deceived families financially, and orchestrated irregular travel.
The incident has sparked public discussion regarding the consistency of the nation’s foreign policy stance. The country has been a vocal critic of Israeli military actions in Gaza and has pursued legal action on the international stage alleging violations in the Palestinian territories. Some citizens have questioned the government’s responsiveness in this situation, while others have expressed security concerns over the unclear nature of the flights.
The minister of home affairs later clarified that since no asylum claims were made, entry was granted once officials were satisfied the individuals would not be left destitute, subject to standard visa conditions.