Gazans said they paid $2,000 per seat to fly their families to South Africa on a trip arranged by a group offering a way out of the enclave, in what South Africa allegedly suspected on Monday seemed like a bid to displace Gazans.
Two Gazans interviewed by Reuters said they were among 130 Palestinians granted entry by South Africa after being bused from Gaza and flown out of an Israeli airport last week, arriving in Johannesburg on Thursday after a stop in Nairobi.
South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola, whose government has long backed efforts to create a Palestinian state and has accused Israel of genocide, on Monday said South African authorities were investigating what he called the suspicious circumstances of the plane's arrival.
"It does look like it represents a broader agenda to remove Palestinians from Palestine," he said in a news briefing.
Asked about Lamola's comments, an Israeli government spokesperson said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had "made it clear that if Palestinians want to leave, they should be allowed to leave the Gaza Strip. And if they want to come back to the Gaza Strip, they should also be allowed to come back."
The spokesperson did not directly address the question of how the group of Palestinians ended up in South Africa.
COGAT, the arm of the Israeli military overseeing civilian affairs in Gaza, said the Gazans left after it had received approval from a third country that it did not name to receive them, and that they had valid visas. The request for their departure included "documents confirming authorization to land in South Africa," it said.
Lamola said that "at this stage the information we have is that they didn't have those required approvals and permits," adding that the matter was under investigation.
Israel loosened rules on Gazans leaving
In May, Reuters reported that Israel had eased restrictions on Palestinians leaving Gaza, and that around 1,000 of them had been bused out of the enclave to board flights to Europe and elsewhere. The departures required a request to Israel by a foreign government, Reuters reported at the time.
The two Gazans said they saw online advertisements posted by an organization called Al-Majd Europe offering the chance to leave Gaza, and applied some six months ago. The offer was only open to families and required that applicants have a passport.
Reuters emailed Al-Majd Europe at an address on their website but did not immediately receive a response. There was no phone number.
Both Palestinians eventually received messages from Al-Majd Europe via Whatsapp telling them security clearance had been granted. They left Gaza on buses and were taken through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing before being flown out of Ramon airport. They arrived in South Africa on November 13.
"I am a lymphoma cancer patient. How long would I have had to wait to be evacuated ... I had to leave for treatment and for a better life for my family,” said Ramzi Abu Youssef, 42, speaking to Reuters by phone from Johannesburg
Abu Youssef left with his wife and three children, aged 8, 10, and 12, and said two of his daughters had been killed in June 2024 during a raid on Nuseirat camp, where his house had been destroyed.
Inciting 'displacement'
The second Gazan, who asked to remain anonymous due to concerns about his security and upsetting his new hosts, said his family reluctantly decided to leave Gaza after being forced to evacuate his home in Deir al-Balah. Aged 35, he left with his wife and two children, a four-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl.
The Gazans arrived at Johannesburg airport on a chartered Global Airways flight from Kenya. Border authorities said they didn't have departure stamps, return tickets, or details of accommodation. Abu Youssef said the group had received 90-day visas and that some are staying in hostels while others, including himself, are being hosted by members of the Muslim community in Johannesburg.
Twenty-three people on the flight departed for other destinations.