By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday issued a sharp condemnation of Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters, denouncing the operation as unlawful and criticizing the arbitrary detention and mistreatment of humanitarian workers aboard the vessels.
The statement came a day after Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, posted a video on X showing detained activists from the flotilla kneeling with their hands tied and their foreheads pressed to the ground. The footage, captioned “Welcome to Israel,” depicted Ben-Gvir heckling the group while waving an Israeli flag, images that drew swift international condemnation.
In its statement on Thursday, the Foreign Office said Pakistan “condemns in the strongest possible terms the unlawful interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli occupying forces in the international waters as well as arbitrary detention and reported mistreatment of humanitarian workers onboard.”
Among those detained, the ministry noted, was Saad Edhi, son of prominent social worker Faisal Edhi and grandson of the late philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, founder of Pakistan’s renowned Edhi Foundation charity.
“Pakistan demands the immediate release of all illegally detained activists,” the statement continued. “It also calls on the international community to ensure the safety, dignity, and fundamental rights of those detained.” The Foreign Office said it remained in “close contact” with Pakistani diplomatic missions in the region to secure the safe return of any detained Pakistani nationals.
Separately, ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters that Pakistan, along with Turkey, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Maldives, and Spain, was pursuing diplomatic efforts at multilateral forums to win the activists’ release. He added that Pakistan was working through its mission in Jordan, which is accredited to Palestine, to secure the freedom of Saad Edhi in particular.
The flotilla — described by Israeli authorities as carrying about 430 activists en route to Israel — had departed from Turkey last week in what activists described as the latest attempt to challenge Israel’s longstanding blockade of Gaza. Some of the detainees had already been transferred to the port of Ashdod, according to the Israeli rights group Adalah, whose lawyers visited the detention center.
The operation followed a similar attempt last month, when Israeli forces intercepted another convoy in international waters off Greece. Most of those activists were expelled to Europe; two were taken to Israel, held for several days, and then deported.
Israel has controlled all entry points into Gaza since imposing a blockade in 2007, after the Islamist group Hamas seized control of the territory. The current war in Gaza began with Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and has led to severe shortages of food, medicine, and other essentials in the enclave, with Israel periodically halting aid deliveries.
The video posted by Ben-Gvir on Wednesday triggered an immediate wave of criticism from governments around the world. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was “truly appalled” by the footage, which she said “violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity in the way people should be treated.” London has demanded an explanation from Israeli authorities.
France summoned the Israeli ambassador to protest what it called the “unacceptable actions” of Ben-Gvir. Spain described the treatment of the activists as “monstrous” and summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires in protest. Ireland’s Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said she was “appalled and shocked” by the video and demanded the immediate release of the detainees, among whom is the sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly.
Italy and Greece also condemned the treatment of their citizens and called for their swift release, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni demanding an apology from Israel. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said Ben-Gvir had “once again openly demonstrated to the world the violent and barbaric mentality of the Netanyahu government.”
Hamas, which controls parts of Gaza, described the footage as evidence of Israeli leaders’ “moral depravity and sadism.” Adalah, the Israeli rights group, issued a statement criticizing what it called “a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists seeking to confront Israel’s ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people.”
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