By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and nine other countries issued a sharp joint rebuke Tuesday to Israel’s latest interception of a civilian aid flotilla bound for Gaza, denouncing the operation in international waters as a violation of international law and calling for the immediate release of dozens of detained activists, including a prominent Pakistani humanitarian worker.
The statement, issued by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Türkiye, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, the Maldives and Spain, came a day after Israeli forces boarded and seized vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla near Cyprus. The flotilla, a multinational civilian effort carrying medicines, dry food and baby formula, was attempting to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and deliver supplies to its besieged population.
The ministers “condemn in the strongest terms the renewed Israeli assaults against the Global Sumud Flotilla, a peaceful civilian humanitarian initiative aimed at drawing international attention to the catastrophic humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people.” A the statement said they expressed “grave concern” over the safety and security of the participants and demanded “the immediate release of all detained activists, as well as for full respect for their rights and dignity.”
The 10 countries described the raid as part of a pattern of “hostile acts targeting civilian vessels and humanitarian activists,” including a similar interception last month in international waters off Greece. Such operations, they said, “constitute blatant violations of international law and international humanitarian law” and reflect “continued disregard for international law and freedom of navigation.”
The statement, which Pakistan’s Foreign Office posted on the social media platform X, urged the international community “to assume its legal and moral responsibilities, ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian missions, and take concrete steps to end impunity and ensure accountability for these violations.”
Among those detained Monday was Saad Edhi, son of prominent Pakistani social worker Faisal Edhi and grandson of the late philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, founder of Pakistan’s largest charity network. Edhi had joined the flotilla as part of its humanitarian mission, according to the Edhi Foundation.
Indonesian officials said nine citizens from that country were among those held, including two journalists from the newspaper Republika. Organizers also reported that 15 Irish citizens were aboard, among them Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly.
The vessels had departed southern Türkiye on Thursday — the third attempt by the Global Sumud Flotilla to reach Gaza after earlier missions were blocked by Israel. A previous effort last month ended with most activists expelled to Europe; among those detained then was former Pakistani senator Mushtaq Ahmed.
Earlier Monday, Israel’s foreign ministry posted on X that it “will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza.”
The episode has reignited debate over the legality of Israel’s actions in international waters and the humanitarian conditions inside Gaza. Since Israel launched its military campaign there in October 2023, aid agencies and rights groups have repeatedly warned of catastrophic shortages of food, medicine and other essentials. Israel has at times halted aid deliveries entirely, exacerbating what many international observers describe as a deepening crisis for Gaza’s civilian population.
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