Mandla Mandela, the grandson of late South African president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday after being detained and deported by Israel, which blocked the flotilla he was part of from delivering aid to Gaza.
Mandela, 51, returned home alongside four other South Africans after being held in an Israeli prison for six days before their release through Jordan, as reported by Reuters.
“We were handcuffed with cable ties tied tightly behind our backs, taken off our boats, put on the platform and paraded for all to see,” Mandela said at the airport, where supporters greeted him waving Palestinian flags.
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He added, “But it’s nothing compared to what Palestinians have been subjected to on a daily basis,” referring to Israel’s ongoing military offensive against Hamas following the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attack on Israel two years ago.
Israel has dismissed claims of hunger in Gaza as exaggerated and described the flotilla as a publicity stunt benefiting Hamas.
The Israeli authorities also denied mistreating the hundreds of detainees, who included Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
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Image Credit: CTV News
