The Israeli navy intercepted multiple boats carrying aid to Gaza, detaining the activists on board, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated that several vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) had been “safely stopped” and their occupants were being taken to an Israeli port. The ministry said the navy had instructed the vessels to change course as they were “approaching an active combat zone.”
The GSF condemned the interception, calling it “illegal” and “not an act of defence” but “a brazen act of desperation.” The group claimed that one flotilla vessel was “deliberately rammed at sea” and others were targeted with water cannons.
On social media, the GSF accused Israel of going to “extreme lengths to ensure Gaza remains starved and isolated,” adding that “they will attack a peaceful civilian mission because the success of humanitarian aid means the failure of their siege.”
Senator Muhstaq Safe
The Pak-Palestine Forum reported that former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who is heading the Pakistani delegation on the Global Sumud Flotilla, confirmed that the vessels are being boarded, though he has not been detained.
“Israel has begun seizing the flotilla’s ships and abducting the international volunteers on board,” the movement wrote on X. “[Former] senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan is currently not under arrest.”
