https://arab.news/bq4dh
- The departure of the flotilla, carrying activists from over 40 countries, was delayed after two vessels came under attack last week
- Islamabad asks all parties to refrain from 'any unlawful or violent act' against the flotilla,' respect international humanitarian law
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday warned of accountability in case Israel attacked Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) that has been en route to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, the Pakistani foreign office said on Tuesday.
The flotilla set sail from Tunisia on Sunday, with organizers and participants saying they were determined to break Israel’s siege of Gaza and deliver urgently needed humanitarian aid.
The departure of the convoy, which is carrying activists from more than 40 countries aboard, from the port city of Bizerte was delayed after two flotilla vessels came under attack last week.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Pakistani foreign office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan reiterated that the flotilla has informed about its objectives of delivering aid to Gaza and raising awareness about the needs of Palestinian people.
"We therefore call on everyone to refrain from any unlawful or violent act against the Flotilla, to respect international law and international humanitarian law," Khan told reporters in Islamabad. "We recall that any violation of international law and human rights of the participants in the Flotilla, including attack against vessels in international waters or illegal detention, will lead to accountability."
The fleet of more than 100 vessels, which will converge in the Mediterranean, brings together four regional alliances: Sumud Nusantara from Asia, Sumud Maghrib from Africa, the Global March to Gaza from the Middle East and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition from Europe.
Pakistani senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan last month arrived in Tunisia, while Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon left Barcelona, vowing to try to “break the illegal siege of Gaza.”
Earlier this week, Pakistan's foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, along with his counterparts from Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain and Turkey, expressed concerns about the security of GSF, in which citizens of these countries are participating.
The development takes place as Israel intensifies its military offensive in Gaza, which has killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians since Oct. 2023, and keeps limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies there. The move has earned the ire of several countries around the world, including Pakistan, who have demanded Israel lift the blockade and allow medicines and food to reach the people.
Food experts warned in August that Gaza was in famine and that half a million people across the territory were facing catastrophic levels of hunger.