BRUSSELS 

The European Union reaffirmed on Tuesday its opposition to any attempts at demographic or territorial changes in the Gaza Strip following reports of Palestinian refugees arriving in Johannesburg, South Africa, last week.

Last Thursday, South Africa granted a 90-day visa exemption for 153 Palestinians who arrived from Kenya to seek asylum in the country, although they were initially denied entry due to a lack of travel documents and customary departure stamps in their passports.

According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, an association run by a man holding dual Israeli-Estonian citizenship sells Palestinians in Gaza seats on chartered flights heading to far-off countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and South Africa for around $2,000.

South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Monday that the arrival in Johannesburg last week of a plane carrying Palestinian refugees was a "clearly orchestrated operation" to displace Palestinians.

Israel had previously discussed with several countries, including South Sudan, the possibility of relocating Palestinians there.

EU Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni told reporters in Brussels that he was "not aware of these reports," but stressed that the EU’s stance "remains unchanged on the matter."

"The EU rejects any attempts at demographic or territorial changes in the Gaza Strip, and we support unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority," he said.

El Anouni also recalled remarks by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, noting that "she said Gaza is an essential part of the future Palestinian state, and there should not be any further forced displacement."

Another spokesperson, Paula Pinho, said the situation would be further examined. "I’ve seen some reports already this morning about it. We need to look further into it. I’m not sure if it was about forced displacement or voluntary displacement," she said.