Joint statement terms assault blatant violation of international law, demands activists’ release
Police officers stand guard at the main entry gate of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. Photo: File
The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkiye, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Maldives, and Spain condemned on Tuesday “in the strongest terms” the “renewed Israeli assaults against the Global Sumud Flotilla,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement.
Terming the flotilla “a peaceful civilian humanitarian initiative aimed at drawing attention to the catastrophic humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people,” MOFA said that the ministers “recall with grave concern the Israeli interventions against previous flotillas in international waters”.
The ministers condemned “the continuation of hostile acts targeting civilian vessels and humanitarian activists,” adding that “such assaults, including attacks against the vessels and arbitrary detention of activists, constitute blatant violations of international law and international humanitarian law”.
🔊PR No.1️⃣2️⃣0️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣
Joint Statement by the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, Türkiye, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Maldives, and Spain Regarding the Israeli Assaults on the Global Sumud Flotilla, 18th May 2026 pic.twitter.com/TS99F2w31n
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) May 19, 2026
According to MOFA, the ministers expressed serious concern regarding the safety and security of the civilian participants of the flotilla, calling for the immediate release of all detained activists and “full respect for their rights and dignity”.
Further, the foreign office stated that the ministers stressed that repeated attacks against peaceful humanitarian initiatives “reflect the continued disregard for international law and freedom of navigation”.
The foreign ministers called on the international community “to assume its legal and moral responsibilities, ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian missions, and take concrete steps to end impunity and ensure accountability for these violations”.
Read: UN special rapporteur urges Mediterranean states to protect Global Sumud Flotilla
On Monday, the organisers said that Israeli forces had intercepted 39 of their boats in the eastern Mediterranean, while the remaining vessels were continuing to sail towards the enclave.
Ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla had set sail for a third time on Thursday from Southern Turkey, after earlier attempts to deliver aid to Gaza were intercepted by Israel in international waters.
There were 426 people taking part in the 54-vessel flotilla from 39 countries, with the Global Sumud Flotilla naming 44 Turks among those on the intercepted vessel, some 250 nautical miles (463 km) from Gaza.
The Israeli military arrested aid workers who were part of the flotilla carrying relief supplies for the people of Gaza. Those arrested belong to different countries. Among the detained is Saad Edhi, the grandson of Abdul Sattar Edhi, who was representing Pakistan and heading toward Gaza with his team.
