Senior Hamas officials joined the Mandela family on Tuesday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s death, shedding light on the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The event brought attention to the recent Gaza war triggered by October 7 Hamas attacks, which South Africa condemned, resulting in thousands of casualties.
Nelson Mandela, who passed away at the age of 95 in 2013, had actively championed the cause of a Palestinian state, making it a primary international endeavor during his tenure as South Africa’s first black president.
Hamas representatives took part in laying a wreath alongside Palestinians during the Mandela family’s tribute at a monumental statue of the anti-apartheid icon. The event was organized by Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, a member of the national assembly, who also facilitated a two-day conference on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Basem Naim, former Hamas health minister in Gaza, and Khaled Qaddoumi, the militant group’s representative in Iran, were among the Palestinians who attended the conference and the anniversary ceremony.
Mandla Mandela stated, “We were waiting to gain first-hand experience of the daily atrocities that are being carried out in Gaza. It was a real experience for them to be in South Africa and learn from our experience as we had to face one of the most brutal apartheid regimes on the continent, and we were able to defeat it.”
He emphasized that his grandfather considered a Palestinian state “the great moral issue of our time,” and they are carrying on where he left off. Mandla Mandela, affiliated with the ruling African National Congress, supported a recent motion by the party to close the Israeli embassy and suspend diplomatic ties in protest of the war.
South Africa has officially called for the International Criminal Court to investigate what President Cyril Ramaphosa termed Israel’s “war crimes” in Gaza.
Israel reported 1,200 casualties when Hamas fighters crossed the border on October 7, while the Hamas government claims nearly 16,000 people have died in Israel’s military assault on Gaza.
It’s worth noting that Israel, rejecting comparisons between its conflict and apartheid, did not send a senior leader to Nelson Mandela’s funeral in 2013.
