South Africa is facing mounting criticism after more than 150 Palestinian passengers—including a woman nine months pregnant—were detained aboard a chartered aircraft for nearly 12 grueling hours at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport.
The passengers, who arrived Thursday morning after a stopover in Nairobi, were barred from entering the country over what immigration officials described as serious documentation irregularities. Many of them said they had no idea where their final destination would be when they boarded the flight.
Authorities insisted the group lacked Israeli exit stamps, failed to state the duration of their intended stay, and provided no South African contact addresses. Immigration officials also raised concerns over the mysterious charter flight itself—its origin, how it was organized, and how the passengers departed Israel without the required paperwork.
Inside the grounded aircraft, conditions grew tense as temperatures soared. Children cried, passengers complained of heat and exhaustion, and the visibly pregnant woman struggled without medical attention.
Human rights advocates have condemned the ordeal as “inhumane,” urging South African authorities to explain why vulnerable civilians—many fleeing conflict—were left stranded in sweltering conditions without basic assistance.
As the controversy intensifies, questions continue to swirl around the flight’s origins, the passengers’ intentions, and whether South Africa mishandled a sensitive humanitarian situation.
