ISLAMABAD: Foreign ministers of ten countries across Europe, South America and Asia have strongly condemned renewed Israeli interceptions of the Global Sumud Flotilla and demanded the immediate release of detained activists.
More than 50 boats departed last week from the Turkish port of Marmaris on a mission to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and draw attention to the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians, the Global Solidarity Flotilla said. The Israeli military intercepted several vessels off the coast of Cyprus on Monday.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkiye, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, the Maldives and Spain expressed “serious concern” for the safety and security of civilian participants and called for “full respect” for their rights and dignity.
The ministers recalled previous Israeli interventions against flotillas in international waters and condemned continued “hostile acts targeting civilian vessels and humanitarian activists.”
They said such actions — including attacks on vessels and the arbitrary detention of activists — amount to “blatant violations of international law and international humanitarian law.”
The statement urged the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities to protect civilians and humanitarian missions, and to take concrete steps to end impunity and ensure accountability for these violations.
“We call for the immediate release of all detained activists and for unfettered respect for humanitarian efforts seeking to alleviate civilian suffering,” the ministers said.
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