153 passengers held on plane for 12 hours, heartbreaking incident after incident

After being held on a plane for at least 12 hours after landing in South Africa, 153 Palestinian men and women were allowed to disembark. The country’s border management authority said that the South African Ministry of Home Affairs allowed them to disembark after a local humanitarian organization assured them of accommodation.

The South African Border Management Authority (BMA) said that the passengers were initially denied entry because they did not have a normal exit stamp in their passports. It also did not say how long they would be in South Africa or where they would be staying.

The BMA said in a statement that “they were initially denied entry due to failing immigration checks and not having expressed an intention to seek asylum.”

The news of the Palestinian passengers being held on the plane for a long time has caused outrage in the country. South Africa is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian independence movement and has led the charge of taking Israel to the International Criminal Court for genocide in Gaza.

The home ministry finally allowed the passengers to disembark after local humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers promised to provide accommodation. As a result, 130 Palestinians entered the country and 23 left the airport for other destinations.

The plane was a chartered flight operated by South Africa's Global Airways and had entered South Africa from Kenya, AFP reported. Imtiaz Suleiman, founder of Gift of the Givers, said the first plane landed in Johannesburg on October 28. "Those who arrived were in a really desperate situation after two years of war, genocidal abuse," he added.

The humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers said it had already arranged additional assistance for some Palestinian passengers. South African activist Nigel Branken said that Gaza passengers said that Israeli authorities ordered them to abandon their belongings and board unmarked flights.

He said, "It is very clear that this incident has a clear imprint on the operation that Israel is carrying out to remove and displace the people (of Gaza)." This initiative of sympathy and humanitarian aid for the Palestinians has received widespread support in South Africa. Many passengers were seen breaking down in tears after losing everything. The heartbreaking incident was beyond the passengers' expectations.                                                                                                                                                                                               The Times of Israel reports.