Joint statement expresses attack on flagrant violation of international law, demands release of activists
Police officers stand guard at the main entrance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. Photo: File
The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkiye, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Maldives and Spain on Tuesday condemned “in the strongest terms” the “renewed Israeli attacks against the global Sumud flotilla,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement.
Describing the flotilla as “a peaceful civilian humanitarian initiative aimed at drawing attention to the catastrophic humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people,” MOFA said the ministers “remember with deep concern the Israeli interventions against previous flotillas in international waters”.
The ministers condemned “the continuation of hostile actions against civilian vessels and humanitarian activists,” adding that “such attacks, including attacks against the vessels and arbitrary detention of activists, constitute flagrant 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 on the Israeli attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla, 18 May 2026 pic.twitter.com/TS99F2w31n
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) 19 May 2026
According to MOFA, the ministers expressed serious concern for the safety and security of the civilian participants in the flotilla and called for the immediate release of all detained activists and “full respect for their rights and dignity”.
Furthermore, 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 civilian and humanitarian missions and take concrete steps to end impunity and ensure accountability for these violations”.
Read: The UN Special Rapporteur urges Mediterranean states to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla
On Monday, organizers said Israeli forces had intercepted 39 of their boats in the eastern Mediterranean, while the remaining vessels continued to sail towards the enclave.
Ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla had sailed for the third time from southern Turkey on Thursday, after previous attempts to deliver aid to Gaza were intercepted by Israel in international waters.
426 people participated in the flotilla of 54 vessels from 39 countries, with the Global Sumud Flotilla naming 44 Turks among those on the intercepted vessel, about 250 nautical miles (463 km) from Gaza.
The Israeli military arrested aid workers who were part of the flotilla transporting relief supplies to the people of Gaza. The arrested belong to different countries. Among those detained is Saad Edhi, grandson of Abdul Sattar Edhi, who represented Pakistan and was heading to Gaza with his team.
