South African authorities recently detained over 150 Palestinians, including children and a heavily pregnant woman, on a plane for nearly 12 hours at Johannesburg airport due to travel document complications. The group arrived on a chartered flight from Kenya, marking the second recent flight carrying Palestinian passengers to South Africa.
The passengers were held on the tarmac while officials reviewed their paperwork, leading to widespread anger and criticism locally and internationally. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has reassured the public that the Palestinians will not be turned away and confirmed that an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the “mystery” flight is underway. However, details remain unclear about who arranged the charter and the reasons behind the delay.
Palestinian evacuees described the experience as a “trip of suffering”, following a 24-hour journey to reach South Africa. Reports indicate that Israel facilitated the transfer of these individuals from Gaza.
This incident has attracted significant attention amid ongoing regional and global political tensions. Human rights advocates have voiced concerns about the wellbeing of those detained on the aircraft during the prolonged wait.
Stay tuned to Questiqa World News for more updates on this developing story.
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