Justice for Gaza: activists fight for the release of humanitarian volunteers

Pickets against the ongoing crisis in Palestine are a familiar sight, but on Friday, gatherings across South Africa focused on the detention of humanitarian volunteers captured by Israeli forces while en route to aid Gaza.

The activists set sail in August as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, carrying food, medical supplies, and essential aid to civilians in the war-torn region.

On Wednesday evening, the flotilla was intercepted by the Israel Defence Force (IDF), and crew members were taken into custody.

South Africans among those detained include Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela, Zukiswa Wanner, Reaaz Moolla, Zaheera Soomar, and Fatima Hendricks.

The Global Sumud Flotilla organisation announced that its last remaining vessel, the Marinette, was intercepted at 10.29am local time on Friday, approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza.

A statement from the group said: “Over 38 hours, Israeli occupation naval forces illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels, each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza. Marinette sailed forward with the spirit of Sumud, steadfastness, even after seeing the fate of 41 boats before her. But this is not the end of our mission. Our determination to confront Israel’s atrocities and stand with the Palestinian people remains unshaken.”

In Cape Town, pro-Palestine activists gathered outside Parliament, waving flags and holding placards calling for the release of the detained crew members.

The rolling mass actions, which began on Thursday, were set to continue indefinitely.

Professor Yusuf Chikte, coordinator of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, framed the demonstration as part of a sustained international resistance to what he described as “the continuation of genocide” in Gaza.

“We are here because of the conditions of the humanitarian activists on the Global Sumud Flotilla, who were intercepted illegally in international waters by the Israeli regime. The guns were pointed at them. They were dragged from the boats and taken into custody in Israel,” Chikte said.

He named several high-profile detainees, including Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, and noted that some activists had begun hunger strikes.

Chikte criticised Israeli officials for branding aid workers as “terrorists”, drawing a parallel with South Africa’s apartheid-era labelling of liberation activists.

“We demand the immediate release and for Israel’s actions to be condemned. Detained South Africans must be granted swift consular access. We want the goods and boats returned, and humanitarian corridors established to lift the siege on Gaza,” he said.

He urged the South African government to move beyond statements of condemnation, calling for immediate diplomatic and economic measures, including suspending coal exports to Israel and implementing boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) measures.

“We’ve submitted a bill to Parliament and we want it passed as soon as possible. We want a complete academic, cultural, and sports boycott. We are asking Patrice Motsepe to ensure Israel is removed from FIFA,” he said.

Chikte also called for an international “Unite for Peace” resolution to bypass repeated vetoes at the UN Security Council, a no-fly zone, and a right-to-protect mandate for Palestinians.

He criticised US diplomatic moves, he said, had effectively rewarded what he described as “the genocide” and further entrenched Palestinian dispossession.

Mothers4Gaza spokesperson Irene Knight echoed these calls, appealing to the humanitarian and human side of the crisis.

“We are here because mothers, children, and entire communities are suffering. These ships were carrying aid - food, medicine, and baby formula. How can anyone justify calling people delivering aid ‘terrorists’ while those attacking them face no censure?” Knight said.

Knight criticised governments, saying they prioritise business and trade over human life, including in South Africa. 

“Just talking is not enough anymore. We need action, humanitarian corridors opened, and the release of detained crew. People need to live.”

Knight also addressed whether the South African National Defence Force should have accompanied the flotilla.

“I don’t know how capable our Navy is of accompanying the ships, but there were other foreign governments that could have sent vessels to protect the flotilla. Where was that protection when it was needed?”

Local resident Rochelle Steyn described the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as deliberate.

“Since October 7, 2023, the shift from ethnic cleansing to outright genocide has been shocking. The siege, the starvation, the restriction of high-calorie foods, it’s intentional,” Steyn said.

Steyn, who has been petitioning the South African government to bring the case to the genocide convention since November 2023, praised the recent global response to the flotilla incident.

“It’s been amazing to finally see international attention. In the first year, hardly anyone was raising their voice. It started with students in the US, and now people worldwide are rallying in support of Gaza,” she said.

She strongly condemned the denial of humanitarian aid. “This is about starving people intentionally. Even before the latest siege, Gaza was kept on a caloric diet, with high-calorie foods blocked from entering. It’s a deliberate strategy of control and oppression.”

Steyn expressed support for Palestinian resistance, rejecting the label of terrorism for groups like Hamas.

“I completely support Hamas. I do not see them as a terrorist state, just as the ANC was labelled in South Africa’s struggle. They have the right to resist occupation. This isn’t just a war, it’s genocide.”

On Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa called on Israel to release the South Africans and other nationals abducted as part of the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla.

The president said the flotilla’s interception in international waters violated international law and obstructed life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Ramaphosa said: “The interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla is another grave offence by Israel of global solidarity and sentiment that is aimed at relieving suffering in Gaza and advancing peace in the region. On behalf of our Government and nation, I call on Israel to immediately release the South Africans abducted in international waters, and to release other nationals who have tried to reach Gaza with humanitarian aid.

“The interception of the flotilla in international waters is contrary to international law and violates the sovereignty of every nation whose flag was flown on the dozens of vessels in the flotilla. This action also violates an International Court of Justice injunction that humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow unimpeded. South Africa supports the call by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for Israel to urgently lift the blockade on Gaza and allow the entry of life-saving material through all means possible.

“My thoughts are with all of the abductees and their families, and I expect that Israel will release the human rights activists as these abductions serve no purpose in the context of efforts to secure peace in the Middle East.”

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za