ISLAMABAD/KARACHI — Israeli forces have detained former Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who was leading a five-member Pakistani delegation aboard a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza, the Palestine Action Coalition of Pakistan confirmed on Thursday.
Ahmad was part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international mission carrying food and medical supplies to the besieged Palestinian enclave. The flotilla, which set sail with more than 40 civilian vessels, has drawn global attention as a high-profile challenge to Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
Organizers said Israeli naval forces intercepted 13 boats, detaining passengers, while around 30 vessels were still pressing ahead, some reportedly within 50 kilometers of Gaza’s coast.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office strongly condemned what it described as “another act of Israeli aggression,” stressing that the flotilla’s mission was purely humanitarian. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also issued a sharp rebuke, demanding the “immediate and unconditional release” of Senator Ahmad and other detained volunteers.
“This action is part of Israel’s continuing pattern of unlawful blockade and collective punishment of Gaza,” the Foreign Office said.
The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed the operation, releasing a video later verified by Reuters showing Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, one of the flotilla’s most recognizable passengers, surrounded by soldiers on a ship’s deck. Officials in Tel Aviv said the passengers were being transferred safely to an Israeli port, claiming they were acting against “the Hamas-Sumud flotilla.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla includes around 500 activists, parliamentarians, and lawyers from multiple countries. Several participants shared videos on Telegram, holding up their passports and accusing Israel of forcibly abducting them. They reiterated that their mission was strictly non-violent and humanitarian.
The flotilla’s progress across the Mediterranean Sea has sparked diplomatic responses from Turkey, Spain, and Italy, which have sent vessels and drones to monitor the situation in case their nationals required assistance. Israel had repeatedly issued warnings to the ships to turn back before launching its latest interception.
JI leaders in Pakistan, including Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, expressed solidarity with Ahmad and the flotilla, urging stronger international support for the Palestinian cause.
For many observers, the flotilla has become not just a humanitarian mission but a symbolic stand against Israel’s 17-year blockade of Gaza, now under tighter restrictions following the ongoing war.
