Former senator and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mushtaq Ahmed Khan released an audio message to Pakistanis before Israeli forces detained him during a raid on the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying aid to Gaza.
The audio, posted on his official Facebook account, urged Pakistanis to take to the streets in solidarity with Gaza. “The people of Europe have already come out against the attack on the flotilla, so Pakistanis must also come out,” he said in his message, received by page administrators around 3 a.m. before contact was lost.
The administrator of his page said Khan had consistently appealed to the nation for the past two years to protest against the “inhumane massacre” in Gaza. “Today, as he himself has become a victim of Israeli terrorism, the nation must finally rise,” the admin said. Khan had also backed the call of the Pakistan-Palestine Forum to join demonstrations, which the group says it will now carry forward.
Protests have been announced for Thursday afternoon outside press clubs in Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, and Karachi against Israel’s raid on the flotilla and Khan’s arrest.
According to reports, Israeli naval forces stormed the Global Sumud Flotilla, which included more than 40 boats carrying food and medicine for Gaza’s besieged population. The attack targeted several vessels with water cannons before soldiers boarded and detained participants. Khan was among the 500 people on board, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Organisers said Israeli forces seized control of the vessel Deir Yassin and cut all live broadcasts and communications. They confirmed that 13 boats had been stopped, but 30 others remained on course toward Gaza, just 46 nautical miles from the enclave.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Israel’s assault on the flotilla and demanded the immediate release of all detainees. Israel’s foreign ministry said passengers were being transferred to an Israeli port and would later be deported.
The Israeli military said the flotilla had been warned it was entering a combat zone and was told to reroute to Ashdod port, from where aid could be delivered to Gaza.
Despite the interceptions, flotilla organisers pledged to continue their mission. “We are reaching a decisive stage,” said Tiago Avila, a member of the steering committee, in an audio message from his ship.
Turkish activists on board said Israeli drones hovered over the flotilla throughout the night before cyberattacks disabled the navigation and internet systems of Alma, the main vessel. Turkish participant Metihan Sari said Israeli naval ships came within five to 10 meters of their boat. “They tried to scare us, but we told them we would not be afraid,” he said.
The Global Sumud Flotilla has drawn widespread attention as it challenges Israel’s blockade of Gaza, in place since 2007. Amnesty International has called for international protection for the flotilla and its passengers.