Protesters hold placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian people outside the UAE (United Arab Emirates) Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, 01 August 2025. A coalition of organizations, including the Muslim Women's Forum of South Africa, United for Palestine, and South African Jews for Palestine, called for an end to the conflict in Gaza and the delivery of food aid to the region. The protesters allege that the UAE has been supporting Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza by providing weapons, spyware, and intelligence. EPA/KIM LUDBROOK 
South Africa has long supported Palestinian aspirations to statehood and filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in 2023 accusing it of genocide in the Gaza war. Israel has rejected the accusations.
The Border Management Authority said a group of 153 Palestinians who arrived at O.R. Tambo International Airport on a chartered Global Airways flight from Kenya had not indicated how long or where they intended to stay.
They also lacked the required departure stamps in their passports to show where they had boarded the plane, BMA said.