South africa Investigates Palestinian Refugees’ Arrival

South African authorities are investigating a chartered flight that brought 153 Palestinian refugees from gaza via Kenya on Thursday without proper travel documents, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Friday.

“These are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi (KenyaS capital) and came here,” Ramaphosa told reporters, adding that the intelligence agency and the Department of Home Affairs are investigating the matter.

On Thursday, South Africa granted a 90-day visa exemption for the 153 Palestinians who arrived from Kenya to seek asylum, though they were initially denied entry as they hadn’t passed required interviews and lacked customary departure stamps in their passports.

the Palestinian refugees waited over 10 hours on the tarmac at OR Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg to be cleared or turned away. The news sparked outrage among activists in the country, which is known for its strong support of Palestinian rights.

“During the process, BMA (Border Management Authority) officials noticed the absence of departure stamps in some of their passports, and also the fact that several travelers didn’t have return tickets or addresses for their accommodation in South africa,” Home Affairs explained in a written statement.

The department noted that by the time entry was granted, 23 refugees from the group had already taken onward flights to other destinations.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Embassy in South Africa also underscored on social media that 153 Palestinian citizens came “from Gaza via Ramon Airport through Nairobi without any prior note or coordination.”

The embassy said the flight was arranged by an “unregistered and misleading institution.”

The organization, according to the embassy, “exploited the tragic humanitarian conditions” of people in Gaza, “deceived families, collected money from them, and facilitated their travel in an irregular and irresponsible manner.”