The Department of Home Affairs says it has withdrawn the 90-day visa exemption. It says this follows an investigation and recommendations by national intelligence structures and consultations conducted within the Security Cluster.
The department says the investigation confirmed deliberate and ongoing abuse of the 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian ordinary passport holders by Israeli actors linked to “voluntary emigration” efforts for residents of the Gaza Strip.
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The Department says the investigations into the recent arrival of two charter flights transporting Palestinian passport holders revealed systemic abuse of this exemption, that it was not used for tourism or short-stays as intended, but to relocate Palestinians from Gaza.
It says this also amounted to abuse of passengers themselves.
It added that in the wake of the withdrawal of the visa exemption, it will duly process any asylum applications submitted by these travellers, while upholding the terms of the 90 day visa exemption for those who do not seek asylum.
