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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared that a probe will be launched into the unexplained appearance of a private aircraft carrying 153 Palestinian nationals from the Gaza Strip into the country.

Primary Access Denial

The passengers arrived at OR Tambo International Airport but were at first refused entry and remained in the plane for over 10 hours as they "were missing the customary departure stamps in their identification papers", government officials stated.

The majority were ultimately permitted to enter after intervention from a domestic humanitarian organization and because of the leadership's "empathy [and] compassion", Ramaphosa stated.

The details of their departure from the Gaza Strip and journey to South Africa are still unknown.

International Background

South Africa has maintained strong support for the Palestinian struggle throughout the conflict between the Hamas organization and the Israeli government in the Gaza Strip.

Ramaphosa said the travelers "through unknown means puzzlingly were boarded a jet that passed by Nairobi" and continued to South Africa.

"These individuals left the Palestinian enclave after receiving clearance from a foreign nation to welcome them," stated an defense organization that controls Gaza's entry-exit locations.

Official Comment

According to the official representation in South Africa, the passengers departed from a facility in Israel and flew to the state via the Kenya's main city, "lacking advance notification or coordination".

A declaration from the embassy said "an unregistered and false group [had] used the tragic humanitarian conditions of our nationals in Gaza, misled individuals, collected money from them, and organized their journey in an unorthodox and careless way".

Present Status

Among the 153 passengers, 23 managed to continue to different places, leaving 130 who were allowed into the nation, government officials confirm.

Ramaphosa, talking during an gathering in the urban center, mentioned he was informed of the unfolding issue by the home affairs minister.

In response, the leader said "we are unable to turn them back", as reported by South African reporting.

"While they lack the appropriate papers and papers, these are persons from a war-ravaged, a war-torn country," he added.

Official Measures

The leader also informed journalists the South African government would carry out a "proper assessment" of the situation and update the public on "ongoing events and the manner in which this matter came to be in its current state", according to national media.

Interior Official Leon Schreiber commented that while individuals with Palestinian documents qualified for 90-day no-visa access to the country, the absence of exit markings, round-trip fares or accommodation addresses in some of the individuals' documentation caused the initial refusal to allow them into the country.

Once it was confirmed that the lack of this information "did not suggest that the individuals wished to seek refugee status" and their accommodation was verified, they were granted entry.

"Every one of the travellers are in ownership of legitimate passports and, at present, zero of them have applied for refuge," he said.

Aid Response

Local humanitarian organization has stated it will provide the passengers with accommodation in the territory.

Community groups in the country have called for examinations into the conditions the Palestinian nationals had fled in the Gaza Strip and the specific journey of the aircraft.

A single of the Palestinian nationals who was interviewed by South African news voiced his thankfulness to be in South Africa, describing it as a land of "peace, laws and fairness".

"We traveled from the Gaza Strip where we've encountered death on regularly. We have lived through a conflict of two years and we are lucky to be in South Africa," said a male passenger who had escaped with his partner and kids.

Criticism and Demands for Action

The humanitarian organization has since requested Ramaphosa to investigate the home affairs ministry and border authority for the "embarrassment they've created" the travelers.

The group's founder claimed this handling included being made to stay for hours on the airport area at the facility, being denied nourishment provided by the group and "using all possible reasons in the manual to block these travelers from exiting the aircraft".

Long-standing Support

South Africa has been sharply disapproving of the Israeli armed campaign in Gaza.

The state's sympathy for the Palestinian fight for an self-governing country dates back many years, particularly the early 1990s when anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela committed support for the Palestinian rights.

Large pro-Palestinian protests have been held across South Africa since the war began.

Smaller pro-Israel rallies and events have been conducted in the state, which hosts the largest Jewish population in sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2023, the country's leadership lodged a case against the Israeli government with the world court, charging it of genocide in the Gaza Strip. Israel has categorically refused the accusation, calling it "unsubstantiated".