Overview
- The Nairobi-routed plane landed Thursday at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo with 153 Palestinians who were kept on the tarmac for about 12 hours over missing exit stamps and itinerary gaps.
- After verification, Home Affairs granted 90-day entry to 130 travellers based on valid passports and an accommodation guarantee from Gift of the Givers, while 23 flew onward and none has applied for asylum.
- Reports cite a previous charter that arrived quietly in October and say authorities have received dozens of similar requests since August, as the ANC’s Fikile Mbalula calls for asylum for the group.
- South African intelligence and Home Affairs have opened investigations into who organised the trip after the Palestinian embassy accused an unregistered group of exploiting families and collecting money.
- COGAT states the departures were approved following a third-country reception pledge, an anonymous Israeli official identified Al Majd as the organiser, and local NGOs alleged links to Israel without presenting evidence.