Pakistan demands release of citizens detained in Israeli raid on Gaza aid flotilla

Pakistan on Thursday demanded the immediate return of its citizens detained by Israeli naval forces after a civilian flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza was intercepted early in the morning.

In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan upholds the principles of respect for human life, safe access, and uninterrupted delivery of aid, stressing that Islamabad “strongly demands the return of its citizens.”

“The government remains committed and prayerful for their safety, dignity, and earliest possible repatriation,” he said.

Pakistanis aboard the flotilla

Sharif praised what he called the “dignified participation” of Pakistanis in the Sumud Gaza Flotilla, which sought to break Israel’s naval blockade and deliver supplies to Palestinians.

Those named among the participants include:

• Mushtaq Ahmed Khan
• Mazhar Saeed Shah
• Wahaj Ahmed
• Dr. Osama Riaz
• Ismail Khan
• Syed Aziz Nizami
• Fahad Ishtiaq

Image shows ex-Pakistani senator Mushtaq Ahmed detained from Gaza aid flotilla.X

PM Sharif identified seven individuals but indicated there may be additional Pakistani citizens among the detainees. He said their participation reflects “the peace-loving aspirations of the Pakistani people, their commitment to justice, and their spirit of helping those in need.”

Condemnation of Israeli raid

Earlier, Pakistan “strongly condemned the cowardly attack by Israeli forces” on the flotilla, which carried more than 450 aid workers from 44 countries.

In that statement, Sharif said the only “crime” of these volunteers was their attempt to deliver aid to the “helpless and oppressed people of Palestine.”

Pakistan demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained, as well as the uninterrupted delivery of aid to Gaza. Halting Israeli “brutality” and ensuring lasting peace in Palestine was described as “the foremost need of the hour.”

Flotilla intercepted in international waters

According to the Pakistan-Palestine Forum, which supported the country’s participation in the aid mission, the Global Sumud Flotilla was intercepted when Israeli forces boarded a vessel about 70 nautical miles from Gaza’s coastline around 3 a.m. local time.

Among those detained was Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, a former senator with the Jamaat-e-Islami party, who had spent the past two years urging Pakistan’s government to take stronger action against what he and other activists call Israel’s siege of Gaza.

An infographic titled "Israel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla continue" created in Ankara, Turkiye on October 2, 2025. Out of 44 ships bound for Gaza, 20 have come under Israeli attack. AFP

Israel defends blockade

The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the flotilla was “safely stopped” for approaching what it described as an “active combat zone” and violating a “lawful naval blockade” around Gaza. Those detained are being transferred to an Israeli port before deportation proceedings begin, it added.

The convoy of 44 vessels carried around 500 people, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, as well as citizens from Ireland, Italy, France, Colombia, and other nations.

In response to Khan’s detention, the Pakistan-Palestine Forum called for protests in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, and Multan at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Organizers call interception ‘illegal’

Flotilla organizers denounced the raid as “illegal,” alleging that vessels were “deliberately rammed” and hit with water cannons. They also claimed Israel sought to block distress signals and livestreams of the operation.

Israel has previously intercepted two similar flotillas in June and July, labeling such missions “provocations” and insisting they aim to stop supplies from reaching Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza.

The interception comes as Gaza faces worsening humanitarian conditions. In August, the United Nations confirmed that famine-like conditions exist in the territory, blaming Israel’s “systematic obstruction” of aid deliveries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the accusation as “an outright lie.”