The department of home affairs has withdrawn the 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian ordinary passport holders after flagging deliberate and ongoing abuse of the exemption by Israeli actors linked to voluntary emigration efforts for residents of the Gaza Strip.
According to the department, this follows investigations and recommendations by national intelligence structures and consultations conducted within the security cluster.
Home affairs minister Dr Leon Schreiber said when the most recent charter flight carrying Palestinian passengers landed at OR Tambo International Airport, President Cyril Ramaphosa indicated that the travellers may have been flushed out of Gaza.
