The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday condemned Israel’s unlawful interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters as well as the arbitrary detention and reported mistreatment of humanitarian workers.

The statement came a day after Israel’s far-right national security minister posted a video showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla kneeling with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground, sparking international condemnation.

In the statement released on Thursday, the FO said, “The government of Pakistan condemns in the strongest possible terms the unlawful interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli occupying forces in the international waters as well as arbitrary detention and reported mistreatment of humanitarian workers onboard.”

The statement said that those detained also reportedly included humanitarian activist Saad Edhi, son of prominent social worker Faisal Edhi and grandson of late philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi.

“Pakistan demands the immediate release of all illegally detained activists. It also calls on the international community to ensure the safety, dignity, and fundamental rights of those detained,” it said.

The FO said it remains in “close contact” with Pakistani diplomatic missions in the region to ensure the safe return of any detained Pakistani nationals.

The Global Sumud Flotilla had set sail from Turkiye last week in the latest attempt by activists to breach Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory, after Israeli forces intercepted a previous convoy last month.

Earlier this week, Pakistan and nine other countries issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s interception of the flotilla. The joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkiye, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Maldives, and Spain.

Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

During the Gaza conflict, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, 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, with most activists expelled to Europe.

Similarly, Israel’s military had halted a flotilla assembled by the same organisation in October last year as well. Israel had also arrested Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and more than 450 participants back then.