A group of Palestinian arrivals landed at O.R. Tambo International Airport on November 13 aboard a chartered flight, raising concerns about how they travelled and whether they were forcibly removed from their home region.
The group initially struggled to enter South Africa because their documents were incomplete, but the Department of Home Affairs stepped in and allowed them entry on humanitarian grounds. The aid organisation Gift of the Givers then moved quickly to help accommodate them.
Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, said the organisation is deeply concerned about how the group ended up in South Africa. He noted that they still do not know who arranged the flight or the full circumstances behind the journey. What is known, he said, is that the plane was chartered through a company linked to a local airline, the same company involved in transporting a previous group of Palestinians in October.
Sooliman suggested that many of the arrivals may have been moved without fully understanding where they were being taken, describing the situation as a form of forced migration involving vulnerable people who had already endured trauma. He said some individuals only learned they were headed to South Africa once they landed.
Naeem Jeenah from the Civil Society Coalition said refugees reported that they were taken by bus out of Gaza through the Karim Shalom crossing, then flown out from Raman airport before ending up in South Africa. He alleged that an organisation with ties to Israeli authorities was involved and said some passengers paid between $1,500 and $5,000 online to secure their escape from the conflict zone.
One man from an earlier group said he paid $6,000 for his family but was only allowed to travel with basic items like clothing, passports, and phones.
President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the confusion surrounding the group’s arrival. He said it was still unclear who organised the journey but stressed that South Africa would not turn away people fleeing a war zone, even without proper documents. He confirmed that a formal investigation will be launched to determine how and why these refugees were transported to the country.