South Africa has let over 150 Palestinian passengers leave a plane after they were stuck on it for nearly 12 hours.

They were only allowed to get off after a local charity promised to provide them with a place to stay if needed.

“Given that Palestinians are eligible for 90-day visa-exempt travel to South Africa, they have been processed as per normal and will be required to adhere to all conditions of entry,” South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) said in a statement late on Thursday.

The chartered plane carrying 153 Palestinians landed shortly after 8am (06:00 GMT) on Thursday morning at OR Tambo International Airport, which serves the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria.

According to the BMA, the Palestinian passengers were not allowed to disembark from the aircraft after it was discovered they “did not have the customary departure stamps in their passports”.

The BMA said the passengers hadn’t stated how long they planned to stay in South Africa or where they would be staying.

“Following their failure to pass the immigration test and given that none of the travellers expressed an intention to apply for asylum, they were initially denied entry,” it added.

the Palestinians being held on the airport tarmac for hours sparked widespread anger in South Africa, a country that strongly backs the Palestinian cause.

They were finally allowed to leave the plane after the Home Affairs Ministry received assurance from the humanitarian group Gift of the Givers that the visitors would have a place to stay.

130 Palestinians stayed in South Africa, while 23 continued on to other destinations, the BMA said. The flight, operated by South African airline Global Airways, had come from Kenya.

Founder of Gift of the Givers, Imtiaz Sooliman, told SABC that he was unaware of who chartered the plane and noted that an earlier flight carrying 176 Palestinians had arrived in Johannesburg on October 28, with some passengers later traveling to other countries.

“The families of this first group told us yesterday their family members are coming on a second plane, and nobody knew about that plane,” Sooliman said.

“Those people are really distraught coming from two years of genocide,” Sooliman said of the passengers.

Based on “feedback” from those who have arrived already in South Africa, Sooliman said Israel appears to be “removing people from Gaza … and sending them on chartered planes” without stamping their passports.

“Israel deliberately did not stamp the passports of these poor people to exacerbate their suffering in a foreign country,” he added in a post on social media.

Other humanitarian groups are also now offering to provide support for the Palestinian visitors, he added.

Nigel Branken, a South African social worker who assisted those held on the plane, said the passengers from Gaza had told him of being ordered by Israeli authorities to leave all their belongings behind before boarding an unmarked plane at an Israeli air force base.

“Very clearly all the marks of Israel involved in this operation to take people…to displace them,” Branken told Al Jazeera.

South Africa has historically been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause and has repeatedly criticised Israeli actions in Gaza, often advocating for international accountability through the United Nations and the International Criminal Court. The country has strong civil society and humanitarian networks that frequently mobilise to assist refugees and displaced persons from conflict zones.

Palestinians traveling to South Africa are generally eligible for visa-exempt entry for up to 90 days. However, standard immigration procedures still apply, including verification of departure stamps, intended length of stay, and accommodation details. Failure to meet these requirements can result in delays or temporary denial of entry, as seen in this incident.

Chartered flights carrying Palestinian passengers from Gaza have become more common amid ongoing conflict and displacement. Many of these flights are organised with the assistance of humanitarian agencies or private sponsors, though details are not always publicly disclosed. Previous arrivals, such as a flight in late October carrying 176 Palestinians, underscore the recurring nature of such movements and the challenges faced by both passengers and South African authorities.

Humanitarian organisations such as Gift of the Givers play a key role in providing temporary shelter, food, and medical support to displaced persons upon arrival. In this case, their intervention ensured that passengers could finally disembark safely after nearly 12 hours of waiting on the tarmac.

The incident has sparked public attention and outrage in South Africa, reflecting widespread solidarity with Palestinians and concern for human rights. Social workers and volunteers assisting the passengers have described the distress caused by long waits and strict procedures, as well as reports that Israeli authorities instructed passengers to leave belongings behind, raising questions about the treatment of displaced civilians.

This event also highlights broader issues in international refugee movements, including coordination between airlines, governments, and humanitarian groups, and the bureaucratic challenges that can compound the trauma experienced by displaced populations.