JAKARTA - A total of 153 Palestinians who were not allowed to board the plane after arriving at South Africa airport (Afsel) on Thursday morning were finally allowed to leave the plane.
South African border police said they were initially not allowed to get off the plane because strict checks were needed regarding departure documents deemed abnormal.
"No departure stamps are common on their passports," South African border police said Friday, November 14, quoted from AFP.
The police added that some of them also "expressed their intention to apply for asylum."
South Africa's Interior Ministry finally allowed passengers to drop 12 hours later, after an NGO named Gift of the Givers guaranteed the provision of accommodation for these Palestinians.
A total of 130 Palestinian passengers on the flight finally entered South Africa, and 23 people are waiting to continue to another destination.
Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman told public broadcaster SABC that information was needed regarding who rented the plane until it arrived at OR Tamb International Airport, South Africa, Thursday at 8 am local time.
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He added that another 176 Palestinians had landed in Johannesburg on October 28, with several passengers departing for another country.
This family from the first group told us yesterday that their family members would come on the second plane and no one would know about the plane, he said.
The government must investigate how people can arrive on chartered planes without a stamp. Israel did not put a stamp on their passport so they traveled illegally.
The plane carrying 153 Palestinians is a chartered flight departing from Kenya and operated by South African airline Global Airways.
South Africa, which houses the largest Jewish community in sub-Saharan Africa, largely supports the Palestinian cause.
The South African government also filed a lawsuit against Israel to the International Court in 2023 on charges of genocide in Gaza.
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