JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into the “mysterious” arrival of a chartered aircraft carrying 153 Palestinians from war-torn Gaza — a flight that allegedly passed through Nairobi without formal clearance, raising questions for Kenyan aviation and immigration authorities.
The group landed at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport on Monday morning but remained confined inside the aircraft for more than 10 hours after immigration officials flagged irregularities in their travel documents, including missing departure stamps from Gaza.
Most of the travellers were later allowed entry following pressure from humanitarian agencies and what Ramaphosa described as South Africa’s “empathy and compassion” for civilians escaping the Gaza conflict.
Speaking at an event in Johannesburg, the president said authorities were still trying to establish who organised the trip and how the passengers were cleared to depart from the region.
Ramaphosa said the Palestinians “somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi,” raising diplomatic questions for Kenya — which has not issued any public explanation on whether the aircraft landed, refuelled, or was cleared through its airspace.
According to the Palestinian Embassy in Pretoria, the group departed from Israel’s Ramon Airport and flew to South Africa “without any prior note or coordination,” alleging that an “unregistered and misleading organisation” exploited desperate families by collecting money and arranging irregular travel.
Israel’s COGAT agency confirmed that the travellers left Gaza after approval from a “third country,” but did not specify which one.
South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said immigration officials initially denied entry due to missing travel information, including lack of return tickets and unclear accommodation arrangements.
Once a local charity, Gift of the Givers, confirmed it would host the group and officials established that none intended to seek asylum, 130 were cleared to enter the country. Twenty-three proceeded to other destinations.
Humanitarian groups in South Africa have criticised authorities for leaving the families on the tarmac for hours — including refusing food offered by aid workers — and demanded an investigation into the treatment.
Ramaphosa has promised a “proper evaluation” of how the incident unfolded.
South Africa has maintained vocal diplomatic support for Palestinians throughout the Gaza war, even filing a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice last year.
The latest incident has renewed scrutiny of the complex routes Palestinians are using to flee Gaza — and now places Kenya at the centre of unanswered questions about the aircraft’s unexplained passage through Nairobi.
