Mystery Flight: South Africa Probes Arrival of 156 Palestinians via Kenya.
Eugine Wabwile
2 min read
TANDAO MEDIA.
๐ดSouth Africa Launches Investigation into Unscheduled Arrival of Palestinian Refugees.
South Africa has opened an official investigation into the arrival of 156 Palestinian refugees at OR Tambo International Airport, following a diplomatic tangle involving Kenya and Israel over the flightโs origin and clearance.The aircraft, which landed on Thursday, November 13, reportedly passed through Nairobi en route from Gaza.
President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that South African authorities had not authorized the entry of the passengers, describing their arrival as โmysterious.โ He confirmed that the Department of Home Affairs and national intelligence services are probing who chartered the flight and under what conditions.โThese are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and came here,โ Ramaphosa told reporters.Upon landing, the refugees were held on the tarmac for nearly 10 hours due to missing departure stamps, lack of return tickets, and absence of accommodation details.
South Africaโs Border Management Authority flagged these irregularities, prompting scrutiny from human rights groups and activists.Eventually, 130 of the refugees were granted 90-day visa exemptions after an NGO stepped in to provide housing. Twenty-three others departed for undisclosed destinations.The Israeli military body COGAT, which oversees Gazaโs civil affairs, has been implicated in the travel arrangements.
While South Africa denies prior knowledge, COGAT maintains that it received approval from a third country,later confirmed to be South Africa to facilitate the refugeesโ exit.Kenyaโs role in the transit remains unclear, with no official comment from Nairobi despite growing international attention.
The incident marks the second such flight in two months, following the arrival of 176 Palestinians at the same airport in October.As investigations continue, the episode has raised questions about coordination between governments and the handling of humanitarian evacuations amid the ongoing Gaza crisis.
