Pakistan, 9 Nations Condemn Israeli Interception of Gaza Aid Flotilla

Pakistan and nine other countries have issued a joint statement strongly condemning Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian-led humanitarian mission aimed at delivering aid to Gaza. Israeli forces detained more than 100 activists on Monday, including Saad Edhi, son of prominent Pakistani social worker Faisal Edhi.

The interception occurred in international waters, approximately 40 nautical miles off the Gaza coast. According to reports, Israel deployed a fully-armed naval fleet to stop the aid convoy, with armed personnel boarding the vessels via speedboats. The detained activists were subsequently transferred to the Israeli port of Ashdod. The flotilla, which comprised over 50 boats, had departed from Marmaris, Turkiye, on Thursday.

In their joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkiye, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Maldives, and Spain denounced the action as a “blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.” The ministers expressed grave concern for the safety of the flotilla’s participants and demanded the immediate release of all detained activists. They also noted that repeated attacks on peaceful humanitarian initiatives reflect a “continued disregard for international law and freedom of navigation.”

Among those detained were nine Indonesian citizens, including two journalists, and fifteen Irish nationals. The 10-nation statement called on 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 for such violations.

Israel’s foreign ministry stated it would not permit any breach of its naval blockade on Gaza, which has been in place since 2007. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the interception force for thwarting what he described as a “malicious scheme designed to break the blockade we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza.” The territory has suffered from severe shortages of food, medicine, and other essential supplies during the ongoing conflict.

This was the third attempt by the flotilla to reach Gaza. Two weeks prior, Israeli forces intercepted another aid mission near the coast of Greece, detaining 181 volunteers, including former Pakistani senator Mushtaq Ahmed.