Mandla Mandela leads Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza to break the siege

Mandla Mandela, the grandson of the late Nelson Mandela and a prominent activist, has voiced his pride in participating in the largest civilian flotilla ever assembled to challenge Israel's blockade of Gaza.

Alongside nine fellow South Africans, Mandela joined the inaugural departure of the Global Sumud Flotilla on Sunday, which aims to unite over 50 vessels from at least 44 nations in the Mediterranean by Thursday .From there, the flotilla will be bound for Gaza to break the siege and deliver much-needed aid to Palestinians.

"Comrades, we are proud to say that we have over 40 boats that we have been able to mobilise with 44 countries that have come together. Ours (mission) is to end the blockade and break the siege on Gaza," Mandela told the Middle East Eye on Sunday.

He went on to say that a million Palestinians are being starved to death.

"Who is the one who is perpetuating the violence? Who is the one that is a threat, not only to Palestinians but to you and me and the entire global population? Apartheid Israel."

Ahead of the flotilla launch, activist Greta Thunberg called out Israel and the world for dehumanising Palestinians.

"Palestinians have been dehumanised to such an extent that they are only spoken of in terms of numbers and United Nations (UN) resolutions," she said.

She pointed out that it is not antisemitic to say that people should not be bombed, that individuals should not be living under occupation, that everyone should have the right to live in freedom and dignity, regardless of who they are.

Amnesty International concluded that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza in December of 2024, along with numerous other humanitarian organisations.

"Israel has carried out acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza," said Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International. 

"These acts include killings, causing serious bodily or mental harm, and deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction.

"Month after month, Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to physically destroy them."

Meanwhile, an aid flotilla of dozens of boats that had set sail for Gaza on Sunday carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists, including Thunberg, returned to port in Barcelona due to stormy weather, organisers said yesterday.

"We conducted a sea trial and then returned to port to allow the storm to pass. This meant delaying our departure to avoid risking complications with the smaller boats," the Global Sumud Flotilla Mission said in a statement, adding winds had been up to around 35mph (56 kph).

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