South Africa authorised 153 Palestinian passengers to disembark after they were held on a chartered plane for nearly 12 hours at OR Tambo International Airport. The Home Affairs Ministry cleared them after NGO Gift of the Givers pledged to provide accommodation; 130 entered South Africa and 23 were transferred onward. Border officials initially denied entry because many travellers lacked departure stamps and had not provided intended addresses or lengths of stay. Aid groups say passengers arrived distressed and reported being moved on charter flights without passport stamps, allegations reported by those involved.
South Africa Allows 153 Palestinians Off Plane After Nearly 12-Hour Tarmac Ordeal
South Africa authorised 153 Palestinian passengers to disembark after they were held on a chartered plane for nearly 12 hours at OR Tambo International Airport. The Home Affairs Ministry cleared them after NGO Gift of the Givers pledged to provide accommodation; 130 entered South Africa and 23 were transferred onward. Border officials initially denied entry because many travellers lacked departure stamps and had not provided intended addresses or lengths of stay. Aid groups say passengers arrived distressed and reported being moved on charter flights without passport stamps, allegations reported by those involved.
01:38 PM, 11/14/2025Conflict
South Africa permits 153 Palestinian passengers to disembark after lengthy tarmac delay
South African authorities allowed 153 Palestinian airline passengers to leave a chartered aircraft late on Thursday after they had been held on board for almost 12 hours at OR Tambo International Airport, officials and aid groups said.
How the situation unfolded
The plane, reportedly a Global Airways charter that arrived from Kenya, touched down shortly after 8:00 a.m. local time (06:00 GMT). Border Management Authority (BMA) officers initially refused to let the passengers disembark after finding that many travellers did not have the customary departure stamps in their passports and had not provided intended lengths of stay or accommodation addresses.
“Following their failure to pass the immigration test and given that none of the travellers expressed an intention to apply for asylum, they were initially denied entry,” the BMA said in a statement.
Humanitarian guarantee clears the way
The impasse was resolved after South Africa’s Ministry of Home Affairs received a formal pledge from local humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers to provide accommodation for the group if needed. Following that guarantee, authorities processed the travellers under the country’s visa-exempt rules for Palestinians (90-day entry) and allowed them to leave the aircraft.
According to the BMA, 130 of the passengers subsequently entered South Africa while 23 were transferred from the airport to other destinations.
Accounts from aid groups and passengers
Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, told public broadcaster SABC he did not know who arranged the charter. He said a previous flight carrying 176 Palestinians landed in Johannesburg on October 28 and some passengers later travelled onwards. Sooliman described the newly arrived group as "really distraught coming from two years of genocide," reflecting the accounts he has received from arrivals.
Based on testimonies from some passengers, Sooliman and other aid workers said people appear to have been moved out of Gaza on charter flights without passport departure stamps. In a social media post he accused Israeli authorities of deliberately withholding stamps; those claims remain allegations reported by aid groups and those on the flight.
“Very clearly all the marks of Israel involved in this operation to take people…to displace them,”
said Nigel Branken, a South African social worker who assisted passengers and spoke to Al Jazeera about accounts that some had been ordered to leave belongings behind and board an unmarked plane at an air force base.
Public reaction and ongoing support
News of the lengthy hold prompted public outrage in South Africa, a country that has been vocal in its support for the Palestinian cause and has pushed for international investigations into alleged crimes in Gaza. Gift of the Givers and other humanitarian organisations have offered assistance to the arrivals as officials complete formal processing and onward arrangements are made.