Nineteen South Africans who had been trapped in Gaza since the breakout of the war with Israel in October have safely returned home.

They arrived at Johannesburg's OR Tambo Airport on Tuesday afternoon, aboard a flight from Cairo, Egypt.

The group had initially been evacuated to Cairo through the Rafah Crossing, after securing approval from Israeli authorities.

Zane Dangor, the director general of South Africa's foreign ministry, said that the agency will make efforts to safely evacuate citizens still in Gaza, but did not specify how many remain trapped there.