{"id":101078,"date":"2025-10-05T19:07:38","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T17:07:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=101078"},"modified":"2025-10-05T19:12:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T17:12:13","slug":"zaheera-moolla-speaks-out-after-husband-reaaz-detained-in-israels-illegal-flotilla-interception","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/zaheera-moolla-speaks-out-after-husband-reaaz-detained-in-israels-illegal-flotilla-interception\/","title":{"rendered":"Zaheera Moolla Speaks Out After Husband Reaaz Detained in Israel\u2019s Illegal Flotilla Interception"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a><\/em>
\n3-minute read
\n04 October 2025 | 17:45 CAT<\/p>\n

\"\"

\ud83d\udcf8 South African delegation members, activists Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, Dr Zaheera Soomar, Dr Fatima Hendricks, Reaaz Moolla, Zukiswa Wanner and Carrie Shelver are currently under Israeli detention following the illegal interception of the Sumud Flotilla in international waters.<\/p><\/div>\n

A humanitarian flotilla carrying international activists and aid for Gaza was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters earlier this week, sparking outrage from global human rights organisations and prompting calls from South Africa\u2019s government for the release of detained citizens. Among those detained is South African activist Reaaz Moolla, whose wife, Zaheera Moolla, spoke to\u00a0Radio Islam International<\/em><\/a> following a brief call from her husband.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are holding up well with the support of our family and community,\u201d Zaheera said, adding that the last conversation she had with her husband was moments before the interception. \u201cHe told me there was an Israeli boat very close to them, then the call cut.\u201d Since then, she explained, communication has been blocked, and the families of detained activists are relying on consular updates.<\/p>\n

According to Zaheera, the activists were initially held at Ashdod Holding Centre before being transferred to Ketziot prison in the Negev desert, where they were denied food for the first day. \u201cIt\u2019s typical behaviour of Israelis where they try to intimidate people and degrade them, using fear tactics,\u201d she said. Families are appealing for access to legal representation and basic human rights, including clean water and safe shelter.<\/p>\n

Describing the incident as \u201ca kidnapping and a war crime,\u201d Zaheera strongly condemned Israel\u2019s actions, noting that the flotilla was intercepted 40 nautical miles from Gaza\u2019s coast, a clear violation of international maritime law. \u201cThis was a peaceful, nonviolent humanitarian mission. Their aim was to take aid into Gaza and to break the siege,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She emphasised that the operation, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was not political but humanitarian. \u201cWe cannot allow somebody to kidnap people on international waters. What does that mean for other boats sailing in those waters?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

Speaking about her husband\u2019s lifelong activism, Zaheera said, \u201cReaaz has been a humanitarian for as long as I know him, it\u2019s an integral part of our family.\u201d She called on ordinary citizens to act: \u201cWe cannot rely on governments alone. It\u2019s up to the people to make a difference. Start small – in your own community – but stand up for what is right.\u201d<\/p>\n

While reports suggest that the activists may be deported to Europe within days, Zaheera said there has been no official confirmation. She urged the South African government to ensure their fair treatment. \u201cFood and water are basic human rights. Our government must put pressure to ensure they are treated humanely, given access to lawyers, and returned home safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong>\u00a0to the full interview on\u00a0Your World Today<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/a>with Moulana Habib Bobat and Zaheera Moolla, wife of the detained South African activist Reaaz Moolla.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 04 October 2025 | 17:45 CAT A humanitarian flotilla carrying international activists and aid for Gaza was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters earlier this week, sparking outrage from global human rights organisations and prompting calls from South Africa\u2019s government for the release of detained citizens. Among those […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":101079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995,4998,4997],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa","category-ummah","category-world"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SA-Delegation-abducted-by-Israel.jpg?fit=201%2C251&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-qii","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-23 03:08:41","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101078\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}