South Africa Halts Charter Flights for Palestinians Amid Controversy

Tue Nov 18 2025 01:27:21 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a controversial move, South Africa has decided to refuse charter flights carrying Palestinians, citing fears of a 'cleansing agenda' following a recent disputed arrival of 153 passengers from Gaza.

South Africa has announced it will no longer accept charter flights from Gaza carrying Palestinians, following a controversial arrival that raised concerns about potential agendas related to their relocation. Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola accused the flight of being part of a 'cleansing agenda' and stated that the Israeli authorities had previously agreed to the flight without proper coordination. The situation has sparked discussions about the implications of such moves for Palestinians and a broader context of displacement amidst the ongoing conflict.

South Africa has said it does not want to receive any more chartered flights carrying Palestinians, days after the controversial arrival of 153 passengers from Gaza in the country.

Many aspects of their arrival remain unclear and disputed. The flight was part of 'a clear agenda to cleanse Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank', Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said on Monday.

The Israeli authorities have not responded to this allegation. However, they said that South Africa had previously agreed to receive the 153 Palestinians.

The BBC has asked the South African authorities to comment.

The Palestinian embassy in South Africa has said the group left Israel's Ramon Airport and flew to the country via the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, 'without any prior note or coordination'.

It said that 'an unregistered and misleading organization' had exploited the plight of the Gaza citizens, 'deceived families, collected money from them, and facilitated their travel in an irregular and irresponsible manner'.

The flight at the center of the dispute arrived on Thursday at South Africa's OR Tambo International Airport. The passengers were initially refused entry into the country and were stuck on the plane for more than 10 hours.

Authorities in South Africa, which has strongly supported the Palestinian cause during the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, stated this was because the passengers did not have departure stamps in their passports. Palestinians are allowed to travel to South Africa for 90 days without a visa.

Eventually, the group was allowed to disembark after intervention from a local charity. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said this was out of 'empathy [and] compassion'. Twenty-three of the passengers had already taken flights elsewhere, allowing 130 to enter the country.

During a media briefing about South Africa's readiness to host the G20 Leaders' Summit, taking place this weekend, Lamola said Thursday's flight looked like it was part of a 'broader agenda to remove Palestinians from Palestine into many different parts of the world'.

In the context of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, relations and policies surrounding Palestinian refugees are increasingly scrutinized, evoking historical parallels associated with the plight of displaced peoples worldwide.