South Africa Admits 130 Palestinians After Initial Airport Detention

"...Footage circulating on social media showed a Palestinian woman on the plane in tears over the situation...."

"...After 'two straight days of hardship and toil, between buses and planes, we received a very sad surprise,' she said. 'The state is unable to receive us just because we're people coming from a war.'..."

"...'My home is gone. I don't have anywhere to go, any shelter. Where will we go? Enough,' she cried, adding: 'Why us?'..."

"...The incident sparked widespread criticism of South Africa on social media as the country, which has led the allegations of genocide against Israel, was seen as unwilling to actually assist Palestinians...."

"...Sooliman said the earlier flight carried 176 Gazans, and that his and other aid groups attended to their needs upon learning of their arrival in Johannesburg on October 28...."

"...'These people were displaced. They didn't know where to go. They had no contact numbers, no phone numbers,' said Sooliman...."

"...Sooliman urged authorities to 'investigate how people are coming on chartered planes without stamps. Israel did not stamp the passports.' As a result, he said, South African border control officers 'couldn't allow them to get off the plane, simply because they were following rules' by not letting passengers alight in the country without valid travel documents...."

"...'A lot of people have already offered food, clothing and medical support' for the Gazans who arrived in South Africa on Thursday, said Sooliman...."

"...'We're really grateful for South Africans, grateful for the government for making this happen, in keeping with our policy' of encouraging sanctions against Israel and pursuing genocide charges against the country at the International Court of Justice, said Sooliman...."

"...It was unclear from Sooliman's account how the Palestinians would have traveled to and from Kenya...."

"...South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country will 'obviously need to look at the origins (of the Palestinians' journey), where it started, the reason why they've been brought here.'..."

"...'Ordinarily, we would have said they should go back because they didn't have any documentation. But...out of compassion, and because they are a people that we as South Africa have raised our hands to support, we felt that we should accept them,' he told reporters in Soweto, where he was overseeing a clean-up for next week's G20 summit...."

"...Ramaphosa added that South African intelligence agencies, the Home Affairs and the Department of International Relations had assessed the group...."

"...'We are going to do a proper evaluation and see what the future portends. We will make an announcement so that the people of South Africa know precisely what is happening.'..."

"...The foreign ministries of Israel and South Africa did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Haaretz said...."

"...A security source cited by the newspaper said Israel has made the departure of Gazans easier, and approved over 95 percent of requests to leave the Strip, ever since US President Donald Trump, in February, presented a plan to oust Gaza's residents and rebuild the Strip as a Mediterranean Riviera...."

"...Trump appeared to back away from that plan in the comprehensive Gaza ceasefire plan he presented in September, which states: 'No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.'..."

"...It's unclear how many people have left the devastated Strip since the war, sparked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in southern Israel, though Hebrew media reports have placed the number at around 38,000...."