In South Africa, activists with the Global Sumud Flotilla have announced plans for the largest-ever direct action seeking to break Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip by bringing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory. Organizers said Thursday they hope to mobilize thousands of people from over 100 countries in a coordinated, nonviolent response against “genocide, siege, mass starvation and the destruction of civilian life in Gaza.”

Sumeyra Akdeniz Ordu: “We will sail with, this time, thousands of participants, including more than a thousand doctors, nurses, health professionals, over a hundred boats.”

“Mandla” Mandela is a member of South Africa’s Parliament, an organizer with the Global Sumud Flotilla and the grandson of the late South African leader Nelson Mandela. He’s planning to join the next flotilla when it sets sail in March. Last October, he was abducted at sea by Israeli forces during a previous attempt to sail into Gaza carrying urgently needed humanitarian aid.

Nkosi Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela: “As a collective across the globe, we can isolate apartheid Israel, collapse it and bring it to its knees, just as we did to apartheid South Africa. We therefore want to take this opportunity, comrades and friends, to call on the entire global community. The registration is now open for Mission 2026.”