From the Liveblog of
Saturday, December 6, 2025
South Africa nixes Palestinian visa exemption, citing ‘abuse’ by Israeli actors tied to Gaza ‘voluntary emigration’ efforts
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSouth Africa’s Department of Home Affairs says it is canceling visa exemptions for Palestinian passport holders, citing “deliberate and ongoing abuse” by “Israeli actors linked to ‘voluntary emigration’ efforts for residents of the Gaza Strip.”
In a statement, the department says the visa exemption was abused in two recent charter flights, “with travel designed not for the purposes of tourism or short-stays as intended, but to relocate Palestinians from Gaza.”
“Rather than using ordinary commercial flights, entire airplanes were chartered not by the travelers themselves, but by intermediaries. Most passengers were given one-way tickets to South Africa and prohibited from bringing luggage with them,” the statement added.”
In an incident last month, some 160 Palestinians fleeing Gaza were stranded on their plane at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo Airport for 12 hours before eventually being allowed entry by South African authorities.
The Haaretz daily revealed days after that a shadowy organization operated by a dual Israeli-Estonian national was behind that flight, along with several others chartered for those seeking to flee Gaza.
South Africa is seen as one of the strongest supporters of the Palestinian cause. Pretoria filed a case against Israel with the International Court of Justice in 2023, accusing it of genocide in Gaza.
The hesitance to take in the fleeing Gazans last month exposed South Africa to allegations of hypocrisy, given its long-held supposed support for the Palestinian cause. Pretoria has said it is opposed to attempts to displace Palestinians from the enclave.
BREAKING: South Africa has announced the cancellation of visa exemptions for Palestinians. pic.twitter.com/JUCqnVlNea
— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) December 6, 2025
The Times of Israel Community.