The undocumented arrival of 153 Palestinians to a South African airport under suspicious circumstances has raised fears over a possible covert Gaza displacement plan run by shady Israel-backed human trafficking networks.
South African authorities are investigating how a group of over 150 Palestinians travelled from Gaza through Ramon Airport in south Israel and Kenya without proper documentation to finally arrive in Johannesburg.
They were held for hours at OR Tambo International Airport, where officials flagged missing departure stamps and a lack of travel details. After review, the country granted 90-day visas and released them.
In response to the bizarre story, the Palestinian Authority has warned that unregistered actors are pressuring Palestinians to leave Gaza, posing as facilitators but working in line with Israeli interests.
The Palestinian ministry expressed deep appreciation to South Africa for their generous support, while urging Palestinians to avoid what it described as human trafficking networks.
Evidence of Israeli plot
The Palestinian Authority stressed that Palestinians should be alert to entities that exploit those desperate to escape famine and bombardment.
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It issued a statement saying people must “exercise caution and not fall prey to human trafficking, to merchants and companies of blood, and to agents of displacement.”
Officials said these networks mislead families and push them to leave Gaza without knowing where they are headed.
The Palestinian embassy in Pretoria said it is assisting the travellers who have “endured over two years of Israeli genocidal war, killing, displacement, and destruction.”
It also said an “unregistered and misleading organisation” orchestrated the flight and took money from families.
A South African humanitarian group called Gift of the Givers offered temporary accommodation to all the passangers.
Founder Imtiaz Sooliman told SABC, South Africa’s public broadcaster, he did not know who chartered the flight. He added that the group’s accounts suggest that Israel removed them from Gaza without stamping their passports, which left them stranded once they landed.
Investigators are examining whether the flight was part of a wider strategy to empty Gaza. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said intelligence agencies and the Department of Home Affairs are working to identify those responsible for the journey.
He said, “these are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and came here.”
Reports in Israeli media quoted COGAT, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, as saying it received approval from a third country to receive the Palestinians. COGAT said the residents left Gaza under a government policy that allows departures, but it did not name the country.
Israel and the United States have repeatedly pushed for moving Palestinians out of Gaza and have held talks with several governments.
Antony Loewenstein, author of The Palestine Laboratory, said the transit scheme may have operated for weeks or months.
He told Al Jazeera that such flights require Israeli approval and permissions from other states. He added, “I see it as a form of ethnic cleansing”. He said the flights reflect a mission supported by figures in the Israeli government who want Gaza emptied.
One passenger, Loay Abu Saif, said Israel helped facilitate the transfers. He told Al Jazeera that he and his family were directed to board without knowing the destination.
He also described the journey as a “trip of suffering” that lasted more than 24 hours.
Abu Saif said the organisation behind the flight advertised registration forms on social media and required families to provide valid Palestinian documents alongside Israeli security clearance.
He said they were told they would receive only one day of notice before departure and were ordered to carry nothing but documents.
He said the trip cost between 1400 and 2000 dollars per person. Furthermore, he added that after being selected, the group travelled from Rafah to Karem Abu Salem for checks before being bussed to Ramon Airport. Israeli authorities never stamped their passports.
This was the second such flight to land in South Africa. The first brought 176 Palestinians last month and also raised concerns about secretive departures from Gaza.
