Overview
- After a 12‑hour hold over missing exit stamps and unclear itineraries, 130 of 153 Palestinians were admitted on South Africa’s standard 90‑day visa exemption and 23 flew onward.
- Home Affairs confirmed Border Management Authority processing, while President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered inquiries and said the travellers could not be turned back on humanitarian grounds.
- COGAT said the group was cleared to leave Gaza after approval from an unnamed third country, as reporting detailed transfers through Kerem Shalom to Israel’s Ramon Airport and a Kenya transit.
- Al‑Majd Europe is under scrutiny for charging thousands of dollars, hosting a dubious website, and allegedly coordinating with Israeli forces, claims that remain contested and under review.
- Gift of the Givers provided accommodation to secure disembarkation, and media and NGO reports point to a similar October flight of roughly 176 people and multiple charter requests since August.