Former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who is heading Pakistan’s delegation on the Global Sumud Flotilla, has been detained by Israeli forces after they boarded the vessel, Dawn reported citing Pakistan Palestine Forum. In a post on X, the Pak Palestine Forum said, “Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan arrested by Israel.” The advocacy group further wrote: “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.”Flotilla’s 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,” the ministry said on X.The Global Sumud Flotilla, involving around 45 ships carrying over 500 politicians and activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, 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. The organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla stated they were “illegally intercepted and boarded” by Israel in international waters. “Around 8:30 pm Gaza time (1730 GMT), several vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, including the Alma, Sirius and Adara, were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli occupation forces in international waters,” the flotilla said. Several countries condemned the Israeli interception. Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced he will expel all remaining Israeli diplomats over the interception. Turkey’s foreign minister called it “an act of terrorism that constitutes the most serious violation of international law and endangers the lives of innocent civilians.” Ahead of the interception, Spain and Italy, which sent naval escorts after the flotilla was struck with stun grenades and irritants in international waters off Greece, urged the ships to halt before entering Israel’s declared exclusion zone off Gaza. They called on the flotilla to “stop now” and asked them to abandon its mission, but the activists said their decision was an attempt to “sabotage” their endeavours.
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