South Africa has suspended the 90-day visa exemption previously granted to holders of Palestinian passports, citing intelligence findings that the policy was being exploited by Israeli-linked actors to push Palestinians out of Gaza under the pretext of “voluntary migration.”

The South African Ministry of Home Affairs announced on Sunday that the waiver had been officially revoked in order to prevent manipulation and coercion of Gazans during a period of widespread forced displacement in the Gaza Strip. The ministry said the decision followed an investigation by national intelligence services, which uncovered organized efforts by “external actors” to use the exemption as a channel for directed and irregular migration schemes.

According to the ministry, the investigation revealed that intermediaries linked to these actors were systematically arranging the movement of Palestinians through non-standard routes, bypassing normal travel processes. Authorities pointed to a recent case on 13 November, when 153 Palestinians arrived in Johannesburg aboard a private aircraft without proper exit documentation.

Officials said the group had not traveled on commercial flights and appeared to have been transported through “middlemen.” They were reportedly permitted to take only U.S. dollars and basic personal items, without checked luggage or return tickets — circumstances authorities said were consistent with coordinated attempts to remove people from Gaza rather than facilitate normal travel.

The South African government confirmed that the asylum applications of those who wish to seek protection will be processed in line with domestic and international legal standards. Individuals not applying for asylum will remain subject to the remaining legal allowances that were in place before the revocation of the visa-free policy.

Separately, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the flights in question were connected to a consulting firm registered in Estonia and allegedly operated by an individual holding both Estonian and Israeli citizenship. The firm was identified as one of the intermediaries involved in organizing the transfers of Palestinians to South Africa.

Pretoria said it considers public statements by senior Israeli officials advocating the depopulation of Gaza as part of a broader pattern of conduct currently under scrutiny in an international genocide case. In this context, South Africa said it is tightening migration and border control measures to ensure that no form of forced or externally driven displacement of Palestinians is enabled through its territory.

The ministry stressed that the new policy reflects South Africa’s declared commitment to safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people and preventing any abuse of legal migration channels for political or coercive purposes. (ILKHA)