Mandela’s grandson condemns silence over Israeli genocide in Gaza

The grandson of late South African leader Nelson Mandela on Friday condemned the silence of the United Nations and African organizations to the ongoing Israeli genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Addressing a press conference organized by the Global Sumud Flotilla in the Tunisian capital, Mandla Mandela said the Palestinian issue is off the UN agenda, stressing that governments have let Gaza down.

"But we will do everything in our power not to abandon Gaza," he said.

Mandela said the Gaza-bound flotilla aims "to mobilize all individual and collective efforts to deliver aid to the besieged Palestinian people."

"The oppressed peoples have no choice but to resist in order to achieve liberation," he added.

Mandela recalled that the former apartheid regime in South Africa left the people with only two options: surrender or resistance.

"Africa as a continent endured centuries of colonial domination by global powers and suffered the consequences of racist policies, and now it is raising its voice in solidarity with Gaza and all of Palestine under a decades-long blockade."

On Thursday, the Global Sumud Flotilla said Mandela will join the Gaza-bound flotilla to break the Israeli siege on the territory, along with around 200 activists, politicians, and artists from 44 countries. The fleet is set to sail from Tunisia on Sunday.

The Israeli army has launched a brutal military offensive on the Gaza Strip, killing over 64,300 Palestinians in Gaza. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.