Kenyan blogger and podcaster James Murua has called for urgent action after his wife, author Zukiswa Wanner, was taken by the Israeli military while participating in a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza.
The raid occurred early Thursday, October 2, when Israeli forces intercepted over 40 aid vessels, detaining more than 450 foreign activists.
Murua said his wife, of South African descent, was part of a South African delegation delivering essential food and medicine to civilians in Gaza.
“In any other situation, I wouldn’t be worried about the safety of my partner, but the Israelis have shown singular cruelty to anyone who stands in the way of their mission to eradicate Palestinians from the face of the earth,” he said.
He urged both the Kenyan government and the African Union to take immediate steps.
“I appeal directly to the government of Kenya, where she has been resident for the last fourteen years, and the African Union, to do everything in its power to get her and others who have been kidnapped by the Israeli regime,” Murua added.
Highlighting Wanner’s lifelong commitment to the Palestinian cause, Murua pointed to her activism from childhood and her roots in the African National Congress during exile in Lusaka, as well as her upbringing in Harare.
He recalled her bold protest in 2024 when she returned the Goethe Medal, awarded by Germany for her cultural contributions, in objection to their role in the Gaza conflict and the silencing of dissenting voices.
Murua appealed to other activists and the global community to speak out against the violence.
“There is an ongoing genocide – this is the time for all of us to stand up for Palestine. And our son, Jama, needs his mother back home,” he said.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which reignited after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that killed over 1,200 people and took hostages, has escalated into a full-scale war.
Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and a ground offensive, claiming self-defence. The conflict has led to widespread civilian casualties, massive displacement, and severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and shelter in Gaza.