Calls Intensify for Release of Activists Detained on Gaza-Bound Humanitarian Flotilla
Israeli naval forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters, detaining hundreds of volunteers, including South African writer Zukiswa Wanner and Mandla Mandela, in what President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned as a violation of international law.
Some vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, seized during Israeli military operations, were brought to the port of Ashdod, Israel, on October 02, 2025.by Saeed Qaq/Anadolu via Getty Images
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has criticized Israeli authorities for violating international law in intercepting the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) in international waters. The GSF, a cohort of over forty maritime vessels, was aiming to reach Gaza and deliver much-needed humanitarian aid, but the mission has now been obstructed by Israeli forces, who have abducted hundreds of the volunteers in the mission about 70 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza.
In a statement, Ramaphosa called for the release of South Africans and other nationals forcefully taken by Israel. “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,” Ramaphosa said, adding that Israel’s interruption violates an injunction by the International Court of Justice that “humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow unimpeded.”
South African writer and activist Zukiswa Wanner is among those who have been detained from the GSF. Wanner shared her experience gearing up for the flotilla’s exit from a port in Tunisia with OkayAfrica, predicting – amidst some mild optimism and humor – that Israeli forces would most likely intercept the mission before they got to Gaza.
A pre-recorded video of Wanner has been shared online, where she states that she’s been captured by Israel and asks for public support for South Africa to ensure her safe return home. All activists aboard the flotilla were mandated to make similar videos in the eventuality of an abduction. Fellow South African and former member of parliament, Nkosi Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela, who is Nelson Mandela’s grandson, is also confirmed to have been detained, and his pre-recorded video has also been shared online.
Wanner’s husband, Kenyan journalist and blogger James Murua, told OkayAfrica that he spoke to her yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, October 1, “but it was just chatter. I haven’t been in touch with her since.” Murua says he had been tracking the flotilla on the official tracker and livestream until 1 a.m. when he went to bed. “When I woke up at 4 a.m., I noticed that the Flotilla had been intercepted, and I broke down in tears,” he says.
Murua is appealing to the Kenyan government, where Wanner has lived for the past 14 years, and the African Union, “to do everything in its power to get her and others who have been kidnapped by the Israeli regime.”
The flotilla organizers said Israeli naval forces detained activists on board and surrounded the vessels as they sailed toward Gaza to challenge a years-long Israeli blockade.by Global Sumud Flotilla/Anadolu via Getty Images
The interception of the GSF is the third time this year that Israeli authorities have stopped vessels carrying humanitarian aid, and with volunteers aboard, from getting into Gaza. Israel has been policing the waterways leading to Gaza for about two decades, although it does not have the jurisdiction to do so under international law. The regime destroyed Gaza’s only airport back in 2001.
The United Nations (UN) recently asserted that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, with thousands dead and thousands more currently facing famine. A large contingent of diplomats walked out of the assembly hall when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to speak at the UN General Assembly, signaling growing international animosity for the ongoing genocide.
South Africa was one of the first countries to condemn the attacks on Gaza, dragging Israel to the International Court of Justice.
The interception of the GSF sparked protests in multiple cities around the world, including in France, Italy, and Argentina, along with strong reactions from several governments. The Turkish government called it “an act of terrorism,” and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated that Israel “has trampled on the conscience of the global community,” while Colombian President Gustavo Petro has announced the expulsion of Israeli diplomats and the cancellation of free trade agreements between the two countries.
The Israeli government has said it will deport the activists abducted from the flotilla to Europe, but the country to which they would be deported was not specified.
