Sooliman was speaking at the Freedom Day Relay Swim for Palestine held at Big Bay Beach in Bloubergstrand in SA's Western Cape province.

The event was an act of solidarity and the condemnation of the ongoing war in Gaza.

12 swimmers in three teams have taken to the icy Atlantic Ocean between Robben Island and Bloubergstrand.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign says three teams swam about 7.4 kilometres under the theme Freedom, Justice and Dignity for All.

The event also helped to raise funds for the work of the Gift of the Givers for their ongoing humanitarian efforts.

“Gift of the Givers has got several projects in Gaza. We’ve built permanently since 2013. I’ve lost the head of my house. He has been killed and 200 family members of my staff have been killed. All our buildings, water plants, and our water truck – Everything that we have built is all destroyed. But the resilience of my team is amazing. We restarted desalination plants,” says Sooliman.

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