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People gather on a boat from a flotilla that had been carrying aid to Gaza until it was intercepted by Israel.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) says negotiations are underway to ensure the release of South Africans who participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla.
This comes as the Israeli foreign ministry said that it had deported 137 activists from 14 countries who participated in the 42-boat flotilla.
South Africa was not one of the 14 countries.
The Israeli military intercepted the last vessel on Friday and detained 450 activists, including Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and four South African activists, including Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela.
DIRCO spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, says, “They are currently held in custody. We do know that they are safe, and we still reiterate our call that they must not be harmed, and that no impediments should be put in place for their release. We do have a specialised team that is able to engage with them, but we do understand that processes for their deportation are underway. We can’t provide a timeframe as yet, but some detainees have been released, and I think that’s a sign that indeed, there’s room to make progress.”
Discussion | The Flotilla interception was expected: Dr Atilla Kisla, Lance Classen, Madison Bannon:
