The grandson of late South African president and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela has arrived in Johannesburg after being detained and then deported by Israel, which intercepted the flotilla he was part of delivering aid to Gaza, Reuters reports.
Mandla Mandela, who returned home with four other South Africans, said he and the group he was with were held in an Israeli prison for six days before being released via Jordan.
“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, 51, said at the airport, where he was greeted by supporters waving Palestinian flags.
“But it’s nothing compared to what Palestinians have been subjected to on a daily basis,” he said, referring to Israel’s ongoing military offensive against Hamas.
