Terms of joint statement attack flagrant violation of international law and demand release of activists
Police officers stand guard at the main entrance gate of the Ministry of External Affairs in Islamabad. Photo: Archive
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 on the Sumud Global Flotilla,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement.
Calling the flotilla “a peaceful civilian humanitarian initiative aimed at drawing attention to the catastrophic humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people,” the MOFA said the ministers “recall with grave concern the Israeli interventions against previous flotillas in international waters.”
The ministers condemned “the continuation of hostile acts against civilian ships and humanitarian activists,” adding that “such attacks, including attacks on ships and arbitrary detentions of activists, constitute flagrant violations of international law and international humanitarian law.”
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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
According to MOFA, the ministers expressed serious concern for the safety of the civilian participants of the flotilla, calling for the immediate release of all detained activists and “full respect for their rights and dignity.”
Furthermore, the Foreign Office stated that ministers stressed that repeated attacks on 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 measures to end impunity and ensure accountability for these violations.”
Read: UN Special Rapporteur urges Mediterranean states to protect Sumud Global Flotilla
On Monday, 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 Turkey, after Israel intercepted earlier attempts to deliver aid to Gaza in international waters.
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, grandson of Abdul Sattar Edhi, who represented Pakistan and was heading towards Gaza with his team.
