# Former mayor of Johannesburg declares support for Hamas while holding an assault rifle in now-deleted post

By Jessica Barshis · Published 2023-11-22 · News & Analysis › World · https://humanevents.com/news/former-mayor-of-johannesburg-declares-support-for-hamas-while-holding-an-assault-rifle-in-now-deleted-post

> "Without souls, without our blood, we will conquer Al AQSA.”

A former mayor of Johannesburg, in South Africa, Thapelo Amad, posted a picture on X of himself holding an assault rifle and declaring support for Hamas. It has since been deleted, but screenshots captured Tuesday have since gone viral on the platform.

The post read: “We stand with Hamas, Hamas stands with us, together we Palestin \[sic\] and Palestin \[sic\] will be free. Without souls, without our blood, we will conquer Al AQSA.”

[Al-Asqa](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/where-is-al-aqsa-mosque-why-is-it-so-important-islam-2023-04-05/) is a mosque in the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City that has been at the center of the [Israel-Palestine conflict](https://humanevents.com/2023/11/21/breaking-israel-agrees-to-4-day-ceasefire-hostage-and-prisoner-exchange) for decades.

[Amad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thapelo_Amad) was the first [Muslim](https://humanevents.com/2023/11/21/polish-woman-who-supports-islamic-state-arrested-after-igniting-home-made-bomb-on-warsaw-street) to serve as mayor in Johannesburg. His mayorship only lasted three months before he resigned to avoid being defeated in an upcoming election.

He is now a [city councillor](https://www.aljama.co.za/thapelo-amad/) and the provisional chairperson of Al Jama-ah, a party that seeks to uphold Sharia law.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Lior Haiat, told [The Times of Israel](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/ex-mayor-of-johannesburg-posts-photos-holding-rifle-praising-hamas/): “This is a despicable show of support for a terror organization. It’s making me sick to my stomach. This is a pure antisemitism of the worst kind.”

Amad did not respond to The Times of Israel on a request for comment.

The president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, [accused Israel of "genocide"](https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3242364/south-africas-ramaphosa-accuses-israel-war-crimes-and-genocide-gaza-brics-summit) on Tuesday while he chaired a [BRICS](https://humanevents.com/2023/08/26/brics-nations-seek-to-expand-global-alliance) summit.

“The collective punishment of Palestinian civilians through the unlawful use of force by Israel is a war crime. The deliberate denial of medicine, fuel, food and water to the residents of Gaza is tantamount to genocide,” Ramaphosa said.