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South Africa probes unexpected arrival of Palestinians from Gaza without proper documentation
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry is warning people in Gaza against human trafficking networks and what it calls displacement agents.
That’s after details emerged of a controversial agency transferring people from the Strip to other countries – through unofficial channels, facilitated by the Israeli military.
South Africa says it’s investigating how 150 Palestinians arrived in Johannesburg on Thursday without proper documentation or coordination.
Departure of people from Gaza to South Africa closely coordinated with Israeli authorities
Everything started with an advertised post from the Al-Majd Europe organisation promising to safely evacuate Palestinian families outside the Gaza Strip, so many Palestinians filled in their applications and are waiting for a call from the organisation.
The situation in Gaza has pushed Palestinians to pay whatever they could to leave the Strip. They lost everything. They lost their houses, and they believe that they do not have any future here.
But how did those Palestinians leave? They were on a bus in Gaza’s middle area when they received a phone call hours before their departure. They crossed the so-called yellow line with the cooperation of the Israeli authorities. This bus then went all the way to Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom, to Israelis) crossing and then to Ramon airport in southern Israel.
At least 200 Palestinians have been killed since the October ceasefire just for crossing the yellow line, so this venture is coordinating closely with the Israeli authorities in order to evacuate the Palestinians.
We need to remember that there are thousands of Palestinians, including children, who need urgent medical evacuation right away. And the Israeli forces have been denying them that.
Palestinian ministry warns against groups exploiting Gaza’s humanitarian crisis
The Palestinian Foreign Affairs Ministry has warned that “companies and entities that mislead our people, incite them to deportation or displacement or engage in human trafficking and exploit their tragic and catastrophic humanitarian conditions will bear the legal consequences of their unlawful actions and will be subject to prosecution and accountability.”
In a statement, the ministry also urged Palestinian families in Gaza “to exercise caution and avoid falling prey to human trafficking networks, blood merchants, and displacement agents”.
