South Africa Launches Probe After Plane Carrying 150 Palestinians from Gaza Lands in Johannesburg Under Mysterious Circumstances

By: Jerome Brookshire – Jewish Voice News

South African authorities have opened a formal investigation into how a chartered aircraft carrying more than 150 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip arrived unexpectedly in Johannesburg last Thursday, with passengers lacking valid travel documents and traveling under unclear circumstances.

According to a report that appeared on Saturday at VIN News, the flight — which originated in Gaza and made a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya — landed at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg without advance notification to South African officials. The 153 passengers, many of them families with small children, were held on the airport tarmac for approximately 12 hours before being allowed to disembark.

Civil organizations sharply criticized the South African government for what they described as an inhumane response to the incident. According to Ynet, humanitarian groups said the passengers were forced to remain on the grounded aircraft in sweltering heat, with no access to food, water, or proper ventilation during the long standoff.

In a statement released on Friday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that an investigation was underway to determine the origin of the flight and the parties responsible for its organization. “These are people from Gaza who were transferred here in a mysterious way, via Nairobi,” Ramaphosa said. “We must understand who authorized this flight, who funded it, and how it arrived in our country without proper documentation.”

According to the information provided in the VIN News report, the South African government’s initial inquiry will examine both the aviation route and the entities involved in coordinating the transfer, amid growing suspicion that the operation was conducted by an unregistered humanitarian or private group that bypassed established international procedures.

The Palestinian Embassy in Pretoria also released a statement acknowledging the irregularities surrounding the flight. The embassy said that the passengers were brought to South Africa by what it described as an “unregistered and misleading organization” that had exploited the desperation of Palestinian civilians seeking to flee Gaza amid ongoing humanitarian turmoil.

“The organization exploited the tragic conditions of our people in Gaza, deceived families, collected money, and arranged their travel irresponsibly,” the embassy said. “When complications arose, it backed out, leaving the passengers stranded in legal and logistical limbo.”

The Associated Press, citing an Israeli military official, reported that the organization allegedly behind the operation is called Al-Majd. According to the source, Israel had escorted buses carrying the passengers from Gaza’s meeting point to the Kerem Shalom border crossing and from there to Ramon Airport in southern Israel, where they boarded the plane that eventually landed in Johannesburg.

The same official said that Israel had approved the departure after receiving confirmation that a third country — whose identity was not disclosed — had agreed to accept the passengers. The official noted that the move was part of an ongoing international framework that has allowed approximately 40,000 Palestinians to leave Gaza since the start of the war, as reported by VIN News.

However, the situation in South Africa unfolded differently. South African officials later announced that 23 passengers from the flight had continued on to other destinations, while 130 individuals were granted temporary entry into the country following direct intervention by the Interior Ministry.

President Ramaphosa publicly defended the decision to admit the passengers on humanitarian grounds. “Although they do not have the required documents,” he stated, “these are people from a war-torn land, from a destroyed country, and with compassion and empathy we must accept them.”

Despite Israeli assurances that the operation was part of a humanitarian coordination effort, the episode has become the subject of intense speculation and criticism within South Africa. Two representatives from local non-governmental organizations told Ynet that Al-Majd was “connected to Israel” and worked to facilitate the extraction of Palestinians from Gaza, though they provided no evidence to support that claim.

Humanitarian activists on the ground expressed concern about the opaque nature of the operation. Imtiaz Sooliman, the founder of Gift of the Givers, one of South Africa’s largest humanitarian aid organizations, said the flight in question was not the first of its kind. He claimed that another “mysterious” plane carrying 170 Palestinians had landed in South Africa in late October under similarly unclear circumstances, an incident that was never officially reported by government authorities.

“This was already the second mysterious flight,” Sooliman told the Associated Press, as cited by VIN News. “The passengers were frightened, confused, and did not know where they were flying. They were not given anything to eat or drink for two days of flights. This must be investigated.”

Among those on board was Louay Abu-Saif, a Gazan who traveled with his wife and children. Speaking to Al Jazeera, he recounted the ordeal of what he called a “journey of suffering.”

According to Abu-Saif, his family had registered for the flight after seeing a social media post claiming to prioritize families with children who held valid travel documents and had received Israeli security clearance. He said that beyond those basic details, they knew virtually nothing about the organization arranging the evacuation — including its identity or the final destination of the flight.

“We were told not to pack anything, not to bring bags or suitcases—only the relevant documents,” Abu-Saif recalled. “Each family was required to pay between $1,400 and $2,000 per person, including children and infants. When the time came, we received notice only 24 hours beforehand.”

From Rafah, the family boarded buses that crossed through the Kerem Shalom checkpoint into Israel and continued to Ramon Airport, where the group boarded a plane bound for Nairobi, Kenya. From there, they were transferred to another flight that ultimately landed in Johannesburg.

“They told us nothing. We only learned where we were going after taking off the second time,” Abu-Saif said. He added that the entire experience was marked by confusion, uncertainty, and exhaustion. “No organization persuaded us to leave Gaza, but they said they could help us for a week or two after we reached our destination. After that, we would be on our own.”

He also confirmed that the family’s passports were never stamped, neither upon entering nor exiting Israel, further deepening the mystery surrounding the coordination of the operation.

According to the information contained in the VIN News report, the episode has ignited both political and humanitarian controversy in South Africa. Civil society groups have demanded greater transparency from the government, while opposition figures have criticized the administration’s handling of the passengers, describing the hours-long delay on the airport tarmac as “a national embarrassment.”

Officials from South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs told local media that the lack of prior notification from the airline or organizers had created a bureaucratic dilemma, forcing authorities to scramble to verify the passengers’ identities and assess potential security risks.

At the same time, President Ramaphosa’s decision to allow entry to the majority of the group was welcomed by refugee advocacy groups, which emphasized the humanitarian nature of the situation. “These are civilians fleeing destruction,” one human rights lawyer told VIN News. “Their lack of documents is the result of war, not deceit.”

Nonetheless, the Palestinian Embassy reiterated its earlier warning that unregulated actors were exploiting the desperate conditions in Gaza. “We call on all Palestinian families not to fall victim to false promises or unlicensed organizations,” the embassy said. “Only recognized humanitarian agencies and diplomatic channels can ensure safe passage.”

As reported by VIN News, the mystery surrounding the Johannesburg flight underscores the growing complexity of civilian movements out of Gaza since the onset of the recent war. Since hostilities began, Israel has permitted tens of thousands of Palestinians to exit the enclave under coordination with foreign governments and international aid agencies.

Under this framework, departures are typically arranged with prior approval from Israel, Egypt, and a third-party host nation. However, the latest incident appears to have circumvented that process, leaving officials in both Israel and South Africa struggling to determine who orchestrated the journey and why it was kept secret.

South African security officials have since confirmed that intelligence agencies are tracking the financial trail behind the operation and are working with international partners to identify the intermediaries involved.

For now, the passengers remain under the supervision of refugee and immigration authorities, as the investigation continues to unfold.

The VIN News report noted that the unanswered questions surrounding the flight — its organization, funding, and coordination — have become a matter of growing diplomatic concern. While President Ramaphosa has pledged full transparency, neither South African aviation authorities nor the Civil Aviation Authority of Kenya have disclosed details about the plane’s registration or flight plan.

For the 150 Palestinians who unexpectedly found themselves in Johannesburg, the future remains uncertain. Many have been taken in by South African charities and local Palestinian community organizations, while others await decisions regarding their legal status and potential resettlement.

As one government official told VIN News, “We must find out who was responsible for this — not only for the sake of accountability but to ensure that vulnerable people are not exploited again. This investigation is about more than a flight; it’s about protecting the integrity of humanitarian relief efforts.”

The investigation continues, even as South African intelligence services work to unravel what many are calling one of the most perplexing refugee movements in recent memory — a journey that began in the ashes of Gaza and ended, unexpectedly, on the tarmac of Johannesburg.