South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says there will be an investigation into the “mysterious” arrival of a chartered plane carrying 153 Palestinians from Gaza into the country.
The group arrived at OR Tambo International Airport but were initially refused entry and were stuck in the plane for more than 10 hours as they did not have the customary departure stamps in their passports, local authorities said.
Most were eventually allowed in after intervention from a local charity and because of the government’s empathy and compassion, Ramaphosa said.
The circumstances of their departure from Gaza and travel to South Africa remain unclear.
South Africa has maintained strong support for the Palestinian cause throughout the war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.
Ramaphosa said the group somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and flew to South Africa, reports the News24 site.
Israeli military body, Cogat, which controls Gaza’s crossings, said in a statement: “The residents left the Gaza Strip after Cogat received approval from a third country to receive them.” It did not specify the country.
According to the Palestinian embassy in South Africa, the group left Israel’s Ramon Airport and flew to the country via the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, without any prior note or coordination.
