He says he remains in touch with Pakistani diplomatic missions in the region on the matter.
An Israeli naval ship intercepts the Sumud Global Flotilla en route to Gaza, in an attempt to deliver aid, at sea on May 18, 2026, in this screenshot taken from a distributed video. Sumud/Reuters World Flotilla
Pakistan on Thursday condemned the “illegal interception” of the Sumud Global Flotilla by Israeli forces in international waters and called for the immediate release of all detained humanitarian activists, including Pakistani humanitarian activist Saad Edhi.
A Foreign Ministry statement said Pakistan condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the interception of the flotilla by Israeli occupation forces, as well as the “arbitrary detention and alleged ill-treatment of humanitarian workers on board.”
He said those detained included Pakistani humanitarian activist Saad Edhi, grandson of Abdul Sattar Edhi, the renowned philanthropist.
“Pakistan demands the immediate release of all illegally detained activists,” the statement said. “It also calls on the international community to guarantee the safety, dignity and fundamental rights of detainees.”
The FO said it remained in touch with Pakistani diplomatic missions in the region regarding the matter and to ensure the safe return of detained Pakistani nationals.
Earlier in the week, organizers said Israeli forces had intercepted 39 of their ships in the eastern Mediterranean, while the remaining ships continued sailing toward the enclave.
Ships from the Sumud Global Flotilla set sail for the third time on Thursday from southern Turkiye, after Israel intercepted previous attempts to deliver aid to Gaza in international waters.
Read: Pakistan and nine countries condemn Israeli attack on Gaza-bound flotilla
There were 426 people participating in the flotilla of 54 ships from 39 countries, and the Sumud Global Flotilla named 44 Turks among those on the intercepted ship, 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. Those arrested belong to different countries. Among those detained is Saad Edhi, who represented Pakistan and was heading towards Gaza with his team.
The president of the Edhi Foundation, Faisal Edhi, alleged that Israeli forces had detained his son, Saad, along with other volunteers.
In a message on Meta, Faisal said that around 1 pm Pakistan Standard Time, Israeli forces intervened in the Gaza aid flotilla near Cyprus in international waters and arrested his son along with other volunteers.
“They were in international waters and Israeli forces have no right to arrest them. We don’t know where they have been taken,” he said.
Faisal had appealed to the federal government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take legal action against the Israeli forces for detaining a Pakistani national.
A day earlier, Pakistan joined nine other nations in joint condemnation of Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound flotilla. The foreign ministers of Turkiye, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Maldives and Spain jointly signed the statement, which described the Sumud Global Flotilla as a peaceful civilian humanitarian mission that sought to highlight the dire conditions faced by Palestinians and called Israel’s attack on it totally unacceptable.
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Joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, Turkey, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Maldives and Spain on Israeli attacks on the Sumud global flotilla, May 18, 2026 pic.twitter.com/TS99F2w31n
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) May 19, 2026
Read more: Israel says 430 Gaza flotilla activists being transferred to Israel
The Human Rights Council of Pakistan also strongly condemned the attack on the Sumud Global Flotilla and the arrest and torture of human rights activists, including Saad Edhi, describing the action as a flagrant violation of human rights, humanitarian assistance and freedom of expression.
Israel controls all entry points to Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. During Israel’s intensified attack on Gaza since October 2023, the territory has suffered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely.
A previous flotilla attempt was intercepted last month in international waters off Greece, and most of the activists were expelled to Europe.
