“Free Them”: Video of Warm Welcome for Palestinian Refugees at Airport Gets SA Talking
- A video showed a large group of Palestinian refugees arriving at OR Tambo International Airport
- The Border Management Authority initially denied entry to 153 Palestinians due to incomplete documentation
- The video went viral with over 160,000 views as people debated the arrival, with some excited to welcome refugees while others questioned why SA became an option
Source: UGC
A group of Palestinian refugees walked into OR Tambo International Airport on 13 November 2025 and received a warm welcome. The video showed people at the airport greeting the refugees who had travelled all the way from Palestine. @user1331387902134 posted a video with the caption:
"Palestinian refugees entering SA."
The video showed a large group of people coming into the airport after exiting the plane. It was a mix of men, women, and children who were apparently refugees from Palestine who had come to South Africa. The person recording the video, along with other people in the airport, gave these refugees a very warm welcome and were happy for them to have come to the country.
As was recently reported on by Briefly News, the Border Management Authority denied entry to the 153 Palestinians due to incomplete documentation, as they did not have the customary departure stamps in their passports. The passengers also did not state how long they intended to stay in the country or where they would stay.
Gift of the Givers steps in
The passengers were later allowed to disembark after nearly 12 hours on the tarmac after Home Affairs received a commitment from Gift of the Givers that it would provide the passengers with accommodation during their stay in South Africa.
"We thank the South African government for coming to the assistance of the Palestinian people yet again. Gift of the Givers, with other civil society partners, will provide humanitarian assistance to the refugees," Gift of the Givers shared on their Instagram page @gift.of.the.givers.
Source: TikTok
Mzansi reacts to the arrivals
People commented on TikToker @user1331387902134's video, sharing their opinions. Some were excited, while others asked questions as to how South Africa became an option for the refugees, especially since the country is quite far away from Palestine:
@mankgeretla asked:
"Why South Africa, why not Egypt or Tunisia?"
@Mr grey said:
"These people have been through a lot, guys, I don't care what we're going through 😩"
@Uthandile Magubane wrote:
"Free Palestine, welcome to South Africa, and these are the true refugees that need to be supported."
@KryptoCandy1 asked:
"Why do I see ppl here complaining about the arrival of these people, but Palestine was amongst the only countries that stood with South Africa?"
@CM@🇿🇦 shared:
"They already have shelters whereas SA citizens sleep on streets 😭😭Our officials nd leaders are failing us big time..."
@loneshark2 added:
"It's frustrating to see the country's problems ignored while foreign issues are prioritised."
@Clive Nzima said:
"Free them. Welcome to South Africa 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🇿🇦"
Why refugees are still leaving Gaza
According to the Global Conflict Tracker, Israel and Hamas have started the first part of a peace deal created by United States President Donald Trump. As part of this agreement, Hamas released all the living hostages and agreed to return the remains of others. Israel released about two thousand Palestinian prisoners in return.
The war has caused heavy damage. More than sixty-seven thousand people in Gaza have died, and almost all of Gaza’s hospitals are damaged or destroyed. By August 2025, around 1.9 million people had been forced to leave their homes and were facing serious food shortages. Since the ceasefire began, countries like the United States, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have been working to help both sides move into the next stage of the peace plan, which focuses on ending the war and rebuilding Gaza.
Despite the peace deal starting, netizens are pointing out that it is still not clear why so many refugees are continuing to leave the area and move to SA.
Watch the TikTok clip below:
More on South Africa and Palestine
- Briefly News recently reported that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also called for the release of hostages taken by Israel.
- President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the UN recently, calling on members to protect Palestinian rights.
- A Gaza woman's reaction to the end of the Israel-Palestine war went viral, melting hearts across the net.
Source: Briefly News
