South African Authorities Criticized After 153 Palestinian Passengers Stranded on Plane for Hours
South African authorities are facing significant backlash after refusing to allow 153 Palestinian passengers to disembark a charter flight at Johannesburg’s main airport for approximately 12 hours.
The incident began on Thursday morning when the plane, arriving from Kenya, landed at O.R. Tambo International Airport. According to the South African Border Management Authority, the passengers were prevented from entering the country due to documentation issues.
Immigration officials stated that the group’s passports lacked the necessary exit stamps from Israel and that they had failed to provide local addresses or specify the intended duration of their stay. Police clarified that while none of the passengers had expressed an intention to apply for asylum, they “did not have the customary departure stamps in their passports.”
The standoff lasted the entire day and into the night before the Ministry of Home Affairs eventually intervened to grant the passengers permission to leave the aircraft. The local humanitarian non-governmental organization, Gift of the Givers, stepped in to provide the group with temporary accommodation.
While South African officials cited procedural grounds for the delay, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the passengers were individuals fleeing the war-torn Gaza Strip, adding a layer of humanitarian context to the prolonged ordeal. The incident has sparked heavy criticism of the government’s handling of the situation, raising questions about its procedures and response to individuals from conflict zones.
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