Secret Nakba? 'Israel' accused of forcing Palestinians onto flights to South Africa

• Hundreds of Palestinians arrived in South Africa on chartered flights, many lacking proper exit documents.
• President Ramaphosa intervened, allowing refugees entry after nearly 12 hours on the tarmac.
• Activists allege 'Israel' orchestrated the displacement, calling it part of ethnic cleansing.
• Refugees were reportedly misled about destinations and paid large sums for the flights.

Civil society groups in South Africa have raised serious concerns over the arrival of hundreds of Palestinians on “mysterious” chartered flights at OR Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg, accusing 'Israel' of orchestrating forced displacement from Gaza.

Humanitarian organization Gift of the Givers Foundation reported that the first flight, which landed late last month, carried 176 Palestinians. A second chartered flight, which made a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya, brought 153 Palestinians. However, South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) initially denied them entry, citing incomplete immigration details, such as the intended duration of stay and the addresses of their accommodation. The passengers also lacked official exit stamps from 'Israel'.

The Palestinians were left waiting on the tarmac for nearly 12 hours, prompting President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene.

“I said we cannot turn them back. Even though they do not have the necessary documents and papers. These are people from a war-torn country, and out of compassion, out of empathy, we must receive them,” he told reporters. Ramaphosa added, “It does seem like they (Palestinians) were being flushed out. We will get the details later.”

South African activists helping the refugees said many Palestinians had been lured by a website promising evacuation from Gaza. Pastor Nigel Branken, who assisted the passengers, said some paid between USD 1,500 and USD 5,000 for the evacuation, believing the flights would take them to countries such as Indonesia or Malaysia. Instead, they arrived in South Africa without prior knowledge of the destination.

“When the first plane came to South Africa on Oct. 28, people left medicines, children left their toys, every possession, and they didn’t get exit stamps or even electronic documents from Israel,” Branken said.

Several civil society figures accused 'Israel' of systematically displacing Palestinians. Iqbal Jassat, executive member of Media Review Network, said, “They had to be bused through the yellow line, across the militarized 53 percent of Gaza that the Israeli army still controls … It points to a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing.”

Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman also condemned the flights, calling them part of “ethnic cleansing”. He alleged that 'Israel' had previously attempted to target Palestinians through bombardments, starvation, and attacks on journalists, and that moving civilians by plane represents the latest method of forced displacement.

Na’eem Jeenah, a South African academic involved in assisting the refugees, similarly accused 'Israel' and the organization Al-Majid Europe of misleading Palestinians about their destination, leaving them vulnerable and uninformed during the process.

The Palestinian embassy in Pretoria cautioned citizens in Gaza to engage only with official representatives to avoid falling prey to unofficial evacuation schemes.