The Palestinian embassy in South Africa says it is working with the authorities to resolve the humanitarian situation involving 153 Palestinians who arrived from Gaza without prior notice or formal coordination.
They travelled through Ramon Airport in Israel and Nairobi before landing at OR Tambo International Airport.
Embassy Warns Travellers to Be Cautious
Officials at OR Tambo initially held the group because their documents were not in order.
The government later granted 90-day entry visas to 130 people, while the remaining travellers continued to other destinations.
The embassy urged Palestinians to be careful when planning travel. It said an unnamed unregistered organisation had arranged the group’s trip.
According to the embassy, the unnamed organisation “exploited the tragic humanitarian conditions of our people in Gaza, deceived families, collected money from them and facilitated their travel in an irregular and irresponsible manner” and then tried to avoid responsibility when problems arose.
The embassy asked Palestinians in Gaza to avoid unauthorised groups and to work only with official Palestinian institutions. It encouraged citizens to contact the embassy in South Africa for proper guidance.
Gift of the Givers offered to host the travellers during their stay in South Africa.
DIRCO Yet to Comment
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has yet to respond to the embassy’s allegation that an unregistered organisation exploited Palestinian families to arrange their travel.
A request for comment has been sent to DIRCO regarding the steps the government may take to prevent similar incidents, and the article will be updated once a response is received.
