The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) has delivered a scathing response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s claim that South Africans aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla were: “abducted,” accusing Ramaphosa of echoing Hamas propaganda and insulting the memory of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

In a sharply worded statement, the SAZF spokesperson Rolene Marks said: “The word ‘abducted’ is not the language of diplomacy, it is the language of Hamas propaganda, now echoed shamelessly by our own government. What happened was the standard interception of a deliberate provocation into a declared naval blockade.”

Marks drew a stark contrast between what she called: “publicity-hungry flotilla activists” and the victims of the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023. “On that day, Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel, massacred 1 200 people, and abducted more than 250 innocent civilians, men, women, children, the elderly, dragged into tunnels, beaten, raped, and held in darkness as hostages. Those are real abductees. Today, nearly two years later, 48 hostages remain in captivity, with only 20 believed to still be alive. To compare these victims of terror with flotilla activists…is a moral insult to the hostages and their families.”

The Federation also questioned the humanitarian pretence of the flotilla, arguing that its organisers had refused genuine offers of neutral aid delivery. The Federation indicated that: “Italy, Greece, and even the Vatican offered to take the cargo and deliver it neutrally to Gaza through the Catholic Church. Israel agreed. The flotilla organisers refused, because confrontation, not compassion, was their goal.”

The SAZF went further, alleging that Israel had uncovered documentation directly linking the flotilla’s funding and leadership to Hamas through its foreign arm, the Palestinian Conference for Palestinians Abroad. The choice to set sail on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, was described as: “a calculated act of provocation and deep disrespect toward the Jewish people and the world’s only Jewish state.”

South Africans were also urged to scrutinise who was on board. The statement singled out Mandla Mandela, accusing him of exploiting his grandfather’s name: “in service of Hamas” and of standing: “shoulder to shoulder with terror-aligned groups.” The SAZF charged that his involvement, along with international celebrities seeking maximum publicity, showed the flotilla was: “designed for headlines” rather than humanitarian outcomes.

The SAZF contrasted the flotilla with what it described as a credible peace framework. It noted that American President Donald Trump had tabled a 20-point proposal requiring the immediate return of all hostages within 72 hours and scaling up humanitarian relief. “The flotilla’s organisers rejected it outright, proving they want conflict to drag on,” the Federation said, adding that Pretoria’s irrelevance was underlined by its exclusion from the plan.

The Israeli embassy in Pretoria echoed the Federation’s criticism of Ramaphosa’s statement, ridiculing the activists as: “privileged Westerners” staging: “a narcissistic performance.” In its words: “This flotilla was never about bringing aid to Gaza – the ships were barely able to carry supplies. It was always about spectacle. The activists didn’t raise awareness for Gaza, they exploited Gaza to raise awareness for themselves.”

President Ramaphosa, by contrast, had insisted in his social media post that the interception was: “another grave offence by Israel” and demanded the release of South Africans: “abducted in international waters.” He claimed Israel’s actions violated international law, undermined an International Court of Justice injunction on humanitarian aid, and ran counter to efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

The dispute leaves Pretoria increasingly at odds with Israel’s defenders, with the SAZF warning that the ANC government has become: “little more than a Hamas propaganda outlet.” While Ramaphosa frames the flotilla as humanitarian solidarity, Israel and its allies dismiss it as theatre that distracts from the plight of hostages still languishing in Gaza.