Israeli officials stated on Saturday, November 15, that the 153 Palestinians who arrived unannounced in South Africa — an event that prompted direct questions from the country’s president — had been granted exit permission from Gaza only after an unidentified third country formally agreed to accept them.
A spokesperson for COGAT, the Israeli agency responsible for coordinating civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, informed AFP that the individuals were permitted to depart Gaza “after COGAT received approval from a third country to receive them.”
The spokesman declined to disclose the identity of that country. Upon arrival in Johannesburg on Thursday, the passengers from Gaza were detained inside the aircraft for 12 hours because their passports lacked Israeli departure stamps, according to statements from South African border authorities.
The Department of Home Affairs eventually granted permission for the travellers to leave the plane after a non-governmental organisation stepped forward and committed to arranging accommodation for them.
Gift of the Givers, the NGO in question, informed local South African media outlets that it had no knowledge of who had chartered either the latest flight or an earlier one that had transported 176 Gazans to the country on October 28.
An unnamed Israeli official told AFP that the same organisation, which handled the coordination of the evacuation, had presented valid third-country visas to COGAT on behalf of every person being transferred.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking to reporters on Friday, remarked that the situation gave the impression “like they were being flushed out.”
“These are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and came here,” he said.
According to South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, 130 members of the group were admitted into the country, whereas the other 23 continued on connecting flights to different destinations.
The COGAT spokesperson emphasised that the agency assists the exit of Gaza residents via Israel to host nations in cases involving patients needing urgent medical care abroad, holders of dual nationality together with their immediate family members, “or those possessing visas to third countries.”
He further explained that Israel “bases its decisions solely on requests received from foreign countries,” adding that more than 40,000 residents of Gaza have had their departures facilitated since the deadly Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
South Africa, home to the largest Jewish population in sub-Saharan Africa, has consistently expressed strong solidarity with the Palestinian cause. In late 2023, its government brought a high-profile case before the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli
