After 13 hours, 150 Gazans allowed to enter South Africa: What to know
The group were reportedly stranded for several hours after opting to leave the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
A group of Palestinians from Gaza disembarked from their plane in South Africa Thursday after being stranded for 13 hours, a local organization said.
What happened: Video emerged on social media Thursday purportedly showing a plane full of Gazans who had flown to South Africa but were prevented by authorities from leaving the aircraft.
I just received a heartbreaking plea from a group of families from Gaza who left two days ago, trying to escape the hell we live in every day. They traveled to South Africa seeking safety, but shockingly, the government refused to receive them and wants to send them back to Gaza!… pic.twitter.com/7q7Iv3xskb
— Mohammed jawad 🇵🇸 (@Mo7ammed_jawad6) November 13, 2025
The Israeli news outlet Haaretz reported that the group of 150 had first left Gaza Wednesday morning and then took a charter flight from Eilat to Nairobi, Kenya, that evening. They then flew to Johannesburg, where they were held for at nearly 13 hours on the plane.
Gift of the Givers, a South African humanitarian organization assisting the passengers, said around 4:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET) Thursday that authorities had resolved the issue. The group, which accuses Israel of carrying out “genocide” in Gaza, claimed that Israeli authorities did not provide the Palestinians with exit stamps, prompting South African officials to bar them from entering. South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola waived the requirement, allowing the passengers to enter, the statement read.
