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Khaled Saifulla 19 Nov 2025 , 7:32 AM Print Edition
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola stated Monday that recent, unexpected flights carrying Palestinians from Israel suggest a “clear agenda to cleanse Palestinians” from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Furthermore, these comments followed the landing of a second “suspicious” flight carrying over 150 Palestinians in Johannesburg.
The Controversial Arrivals
On Thursday, November 13, 2025, a chartered plane arrived at O.R. Tambo International Airport. It carried 153 Palestinians from Gaza. The flight originated in Israel’s Ramon Airport, stopping over in Kenya.
Documentation Issues: South African border police detained the group on the plane for about 12 hours. This happened because they lacked proper Israeli departure stamps in their passports. They also did not possess correct entry documents for South Africa.
Previous Flight: A local charity, Gift of the Givers, revealed a second flight had arrived earlier. That flight, carrying 176 Palestinians, arrived on October 28.
The Organizers: Reports indicate a “shadowy organization” named Al-Majd arranged the flights. This group allegedly advertised “evacuation and relocation” and charged passengers up to $2,000 per seat. The Palestinian embassy in South Africa stated that an “unregistered and misleading organization” exploited the humanitarian crisis.
Allegations of ‘Ethnic Cleansing’
Foreign Minister Lamola strongly criticized the flights. Consequently, he stated that South Africa does not want any further arrivals.
“We are suspicious, as the South African government, about the circumstances surrounding the arrival of the plane… It does look like it represents a broader agenda to remove Palestinians from Palestine into many different parts of the world, and is a clearly orchestrated operation.”
Therefore, President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered an intelligence investigation into who financed the chartered flights.
The Broader Context
South Africa is one of Israel’s strongest critics. In fact, it is currently pursuing a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Moreover, some arriving Palestinians told NGOs that organizers misled them about their final destination. Some believed they were headed to Malaysia or India. They also said accommodation promised in South Africa only covered one week.
