Former Pakistani Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, leading the Pakistani delegation aboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, has been arrested by Israeli forces after they intercepted the flotilla and boarded the ships.
In a post on X, the Pak Palestine Forum confirmed, "Pakistani Delegation Lead Ex Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan has been arrested by Israeli Occupying Forces."
"Only one ship has managed to escape, i.e., [the] observer boat, whose duty was to collect information and escape. Our second delegate Syed Uzair Nizami was sailing on the observer boat and shared the information regarding the interception of Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan’s ship," said the advocacy group.
Israeli forces intercept Gaza-bound aid flotilla
Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla en route to Gaza and detained several activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Times of Israel reported.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of around 50 small vessels with some 500 people, politicians, and activists on board, carried a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, mainly food and medicine, for Palestinians in the besieged enclave of Gaza. Flotilla had left Spain last month, aiming to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and send urgent humanitarian aid to the territory ravaged by starvation due to Israel’s military offensive.
However, several vessels were stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port, the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. “Already several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port. Greta and her friends are safe and healthy," said the ministry on X.
Countries condemn Israeli interception
The Israeli interception of the Gaza-bound flotilla drew widespread condemnation from several countries. Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced he would expel all remaining Israeli diplomats in protest. Turkey’s Foreign Minister condemned the action as “an act of terrorism” and a severe violation of international law that endangered innocent lives.
Prior to the interception, Spain and Italy, which had sent naval escorts, warned the ships to halt as they approached Israel’s declared exclusion zone off Gaza. The flotilla had come under stun grenades and irritants in international waters near Greece. While the European nations urged the mission to be abandoned, the activists described the warnings as an attempt to “sabotage” their efforts.
