Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, will be joining Greta Thunberg, among other advocates for Palestinian liberation, in a voyage of boats in an attempt to break Israel’s siege.
“The genocide against Palestinians in Gaza has been escalating for the past 22 months,” Chief Mandela said in a video about the Global Sumud Flotilla’s (GSF) mission.
Dozens of civilian vessels are scheduled to depart for Gaza on August 31, 2025, as part of the largest maritime mission since the siege began in 2007.
The main launch will take place from Spain, followed by departures from Tunisia and other countries on September 4, 2025.
Organisers stressed that the flotilla is a lawful, peaceful civilian initiative under international law, warning that any Israeli interception would constitute an act of piracy.
They described the mission as both humanitarian and moral, calling for an end to the siege, starvation tactics, systemic dehumanisation of Palestinians, and the ongoing genocide.
Another South African activist, Pieter Kriel, went to the West Bank to experience the horrors that Palestinians are subjected to. “I went to Palestine because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, solidarity demands that we bear witness,” Kriel said. “Israel doesn’t want eyes on its occupation.
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. 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,” said Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
The GSF described the mission as both humanitarian and moral, calling for an end to the siege, starvation tactics, systemic dehumanisation of Palestinians, and the ongoing genocide.
“We, the people from around the world, are determined. We stand with the people of Palestine, and we will sail for justice with a message to the people in Gaza: We see you. We hear you. And we are coming back stronger,” added German activist Yasemin Acar.
Mandela was also part of the #GlobalMarch2Gaza movement, where he reported on issues such as passport confiscations and travel restrictions.
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