Johannesburg – A delegation of 50 South African pastors and Christian leaders returned from Israel after joining an international gathering.
The gathering brought together pastors and faith leaders from around the world for the Ambassador Summit and Global Prayer event in the Old City of Jerusalem on 7 October.
The date marks the anniversary of the Hamas-led massacre of 7 October 2023.
The 24-hour prayer event, broadcast from Jerusalem, united Christians internationally in prayer for the peace and security of Jerusalem, the people of Israel, the recovery and restoration of hostages and their families, Jewish communities facing antisemitism, wisdom for Israel’s leaders, and unity among believers worldwide.
The major prayer event included over 1 000 pastors from over 100 countries, and it was estimated that more than 40 million people watched the event live around the world.
The event was hosted by Dr. Mike Evans, a leading U.S. evangelical leader and founder of the Friends of Zion and Heritage Centre and Museum in Jerusalem.
Dr. Evans is well known for stating that: “For Christians, Israel is not just another country on the map. It is the cradle of our faith.”
South African Friends of Israel (SAFI) said the presence of 50 South African Christian leaders at the event carries particular significance when the South African government has remained hostile towards the Holy Land of Israel.
South Africa’s genocide case against Israel
South Africa filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on 29 December 2023, alleging that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza violates the UN Genocide Convention and amounts to genocide against Palestinians.
Israel rejects the allegation, arguing that its military operations were launched in response to the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023 and are an exercise of its right to self-defence.
The ICJ has not issued a final ruling on whether genocide has occurred. ‘
However, the court has issued a series of provisional measures, finding that Palestinians in Gaza face a plausible risk of irreparable harm and ordering Israel to take steps to prevent acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention and to facilitate humanitarian assistance.
The merits of the case remain under consideration.
South Africa has continued to submit evidence to the court, arguing that Israel has failed to comply fully with the ICJ’s orders.
In August 2026, Pretoria lodged an additional dossier detailing what it described as Israel’s non-compliance with the provisional measures.
According to figures cited by South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, at least 73 407 Palestinians, including women and children, had been killed and 174 335 injured in Gaza since 7 October 2023 as of August 2026.
On 21 November 2024, the world’s top war-crimes court, the ICC, issued a warrant of arrest for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of crimes against humanity.
He denies the allegations and insists Israel has a right to defend itself, and his government disputes the number of deaths.
Commenting further on the recent gathering in the Old City, SAFI said 30 of the 50 South African delegates were representatives of the South African Community of Faith-Based Fraternals and Federations (SACOFF), one of the country’s largest faith-based networks.
Its 252 member organisations collectively represent 26,538 churches and 11 million people across South Africa.
“These pastors did not travel to Israel as politicians or diplomats,” Bafana Modise, spokesperson for SAFI, said today, Wednesday 14 October 2026..
“They travelled as Christian leaders representing congregations and communities across our country, and their presence sends an important message: South Africa’s relationship with Israel cannot be reduced to the position adopted by the ANC-led government.”
He said here at home hundreds of South Africans gathered at Rhema Bible Church from where they joined millions around the world to commemorate October 7th and stand against terrorism.
SAFI said the purpose of the local gathering was to raise awareness about the brutality of Hamas and the attempted genocide of Jews on that day.
“There is a substantial Christian constituency in South Africa whose convictions concerning Israel are profoundly different from the policies and rhetoric coming from government,” Modise said.
“When pastors connected to thousands of churches are prepared to travel to Jerusalem to pray with Israelis, remember the victims of October 7 and stand publicly against antisemitism, government cannot credibly present its own position as though it is the only South African voice on Israel.”
The Global Prayer Event was organised by the Jerusalem Prayer Team and Churches United with Israel.
Organisers described the gathering as explicitly non-political and focused on prayer, with Christians internationally invited to pray for Israel, Jerusalem, the hostages and their families and Jewish communities confronting antisemitism.
The South African pastors also participated in a programme designed to allow Christian leaders to encounter Israel and its people firsthand.
On 8 October, delegates visited Yad Vashem, the Nova Festival site and Israeli communities along the Gaza border, confronting both the history of antisemitism and locations directly affected by the Hamas-led massacre of 7 October 2023.
“As a nation that overcame injustice, we hold our own history in great reverence,” Modise said.
“For that reason, we respectfully disagree with those who describe Hamas as a liberation movement.
“The South African struggle was defined by a vision of dignity, equality and reconciliation.
“We cannot reconcile that legacy with the massacres, sexual violence and hostage-taking carried out on October 7th, and we ask that our history not be invoked to justify them.”
Modise added: “For three years South Africans have been subjected to an intensely politicised debate about Israel.
“These pastors have now had the opportunity to encounter Israelis themselves, to visit the communities affected by October 7 and to form their understanding through direct human engagement rather than political slogans.”
The scale and reach of the South African delegation should challenge assumptions that the government’s foreign policy towards Israel reflects a uniform South African position.
SAFI said Christianity remains deeply embedded across South African society,
The participation of 30 SACOFF representatives among the 50-person South African delegation therefore represents far more than the views of the individuals who boarded the flights to Israel.
Those leaders return to extensive congregational networks across South Africa.
“Government-to-government relations are only one dimension of the relationship between nations,” said Modise.
“Relationships between people, churches and communities can endure even through periods of serious diplomatic disagreement.
“These 50 South African Christian leaders have demonstrated that those ties between South Africans and Israelis remain alive.”
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