Khaberni - In a Hebrew report published by "Yedioth Ahronoth" in collaboration with the AP agency, one of the most controversial incidents was revealed since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, following the landing of a chartered plane in Johannesburg carrying more than 150 Palestinians from the region without any travel documents, amid harsh detention conditions and conflicting information about the entity that arranged the trip and the real purpose of these Palestinians' removal.
South African intelligence agencies are investigating how a plane like this was allowed to reach the country, and how these Palestinians were transported from Gaza to Ramon Airport then to Nairobi, and finally to Johannesburg. The initial refusal by the South African authorities to allow them to disembark led them to spend about 12 hours on board a "very hot" plane without food or water, according to the report from local organizations that criticized the state's handling of the incident, especially since the passengers included families, children, and a woman in her ninth month of pregnancy.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a formal investigation to uncover the mysterious journey's path, confirming that they were "secretly removed from Gaza" through Kenya. The Palestinian embassy in South Africa indicated that the trip was organized by an "unofficial and misleading" entity that exploited wartime conditions to extract money from families before disclaiming responsibility once complexities arose.
An Israeli military source told "Yedioth Ahronoth" that an organization called "Al-Majd" was behind the operation, claiming Israel accompanied the buses that transported the Palestinians from a gathering point inside Gaza to the Kerem Shalom crossing, and from there to Ramon Airport where the plane departed. However, South African non-governmental organizations accused this entity of being "linked to Israel," without providing concrete evidence, while the journalistic investigation pointed out that the organization's website lacks addresses, contact numbers, and a list of business partners.
The South African authorities clarified that 23 passengers continued their journey to other countries, while 130 were allowed entry after intervention by the Ministry of Interior and the Gift of the Givers organization. Ramaphosa said: "These are from a shattered country, and it is our duty to welcome them with humanity and compassion, even if they do not carry the required documents."
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry thanked South Africa for its decision, while at the same time warning Palestinians - especially in Gaza - to deal with "unofficial" entities that operate in ways that may be linked to smuggling or human trafficking, affirming that any involved entity would face legal prosecution.
South African human rights organizations expressed concern that the flight might be part of an organized effort to remove Palestinians from Gaza as part of a "managed migration," in reference to previous reports about Israeli policies facilitating the departure of residents to third countries. A spokesman for the Israeli government coordinator told AP that the Palestinians left after a third country agreed to receive them, confirming that about 40,000 Palestinians had left the sector since the start of the war.
The report also mentioned that Israel had previously supported an initiative proposed by former US President Donald Trump to "depopulate Gaza," before he later retracted it and signed a ceasefire agreement that allowed the residents to stay.
Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of the Gift of the Givers organization, reported that this was not the first flight, as a similar plane carrying more than 170 Palestinians in mysterious circumstances arrived at the end of October. He said: "The passengers were scared, confused, and did not know their destination. They did not receive any food or water for two days. This is something that must be investigated."
Meanwhile, South Africa is leading a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza, accusations that Israel strongly denies and describes Pretoria as "the legal arm of Hamas," increasing the sensitivity of the incident at both the political and diplomatic levels.
