Ex-senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan says no Pakistani officials reached out after strike, assails Israel’s attempts at “psychological warfare”.
As some Western leaders recognise a Palestinian state, Israel seems to have entered panic mode. Tel Aviv has done again what it does best: attacking unarmed civilians.
Late on Tuesday night, the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) — a collection of boats carrying humanitarian aid with rights activists, doctors, parliamentarians, journalists and others — was hit by Israeli drones as they entered the final stretch of their journey to Gaza.
The aid boats are carrying delegations from over 40 countries, including Pakistan, which aim to distribute vital humanitarian aid such as baby formula, food, water and medicine to the malnourished, forcibly displaced and injured civilians suffering from almost two years of genocide, as classified by the United Nations.
According to a statement issued by the GSF, at least 14 boats were targeted with explosive and incendiary devices while in Greek waters. Emergency communication devices were also disabled and “calculated physical damage designed to render the ships unseaworthy”.
Former Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who is leading the Pakistani delegation on the flotilla, told Dawn.com that his vessel was safe during the attacks. Recalling that night, he said that around 15 drones carried out 12 strikes.
“They partially damaged around seven or eight of our boats,“ Khan said. “We were able to fix the damage and the boats are still seaworthy.
“They jammed our communication systems, the systems we use to reach out to the international community for help were jammed,” he said.
Khan stated that Israeli forces used sound bombs, flares and chemical agents to inflict “psychological warfare aimed at instilling fear in the participants”.
The former senator said that the convoy has left Greek waters and is still en route to Gaza, expecting to enter international waters soon. He added that the next two to three days are crucial for the mission.
“We have been travelling non-stop and will enter international waters soon. This stretch is extremely important because the moment we enter international waters, Gaza will be right in front of us.”
Khan revealed that EU states warned of an impending escalation of attacks on the convoy as it neared Gaza.
“An attack on this flotilla would be an act of terrorism,” he stressed. He reiterated that the flotilla’s mission is peaceful and its goal is to break the blockade and deliver life-saving humanitarian aid.
Two days prior to the attack, the Israeli foreign ministry’s account on X posted a lengthy statement in which it slapped the ‘Hamas’ label on the flotilla convoy and asserted that it “will not allow the breach of a ‘lawful’ naval blockade”.
Moreover, it suggested unloading the aid at Israel’s Ashkelon Marina port from where it would supposedly be delivered to the very enclave Israeli forces are starving and continuously bombing.
When asked about the flotilla being labelled a part of Hamas by Tel Aviv, the former senator dismissed it as propaganda.
“They have threatened us and attacked us, but people are now seeing Israel’s true face,” he replied. “Are these activists, actors and lawmakers terrorists?”
Italy, which has stated its intention to recognise a Palestinian state — on the condition that all hostages are released and that Hamas is excluded, as outlined by its Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — has not only condemned the attack but has dispatched two navy ships to assist the flotilla.
Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto stated last Thursday that the country had sent two of their naval vessels to assist the Italian participants on the GSF.
“It is not an act of war, it is not a provocation: it is an act of humanity, which is a duty of a state towards its citizens,” he told the upper house of parliament. Following Italy’s lead, Spain announced that it has deployed a navy warship to help the aid convoy.
However, Khan made it clear that these vessels are “not for action”, but rather for relief and rescue.
According to the GSF, “hundreds of elected representatives from across the EU” have demanded the immediate protection of the Global Sumud Flotilla. The coalition also posted the penned appeal to EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on their Instagram platform.
Using Italy and Spain as an example, Khan called on the Pakistani government to take action and aid the flotilla.
“No official has reached out, nor have they raised this at international fora like the UN and the OIC,” he lamented.
“The Pakistan government should state their support for the Global Sumud Flotilla and should condemn the attack. Like Italy and Spain who have sent their navy ships, Pakistan should dispatch a mission. If they cannot send navy ships then they should send a civilian humanitarian mission, something like Rescue 1122, so it can help in rescue efforts,” he stressed.
During his conversation with Dawn.com, Khan noted that parliament also has a role to play in raising its voice against the attack.
“Pakistan’s parliament and parliamentarians should also play their part.”
On September 19, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) issued a statement calling attention to the GSF and highlighting Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s concerns about its safety.
The statement read that FM Dar, along with his counterparts from Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, Libya, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain and Turkiye, expressed concerns about the security of the flotilla.
“We therefore call on everyone to refrain from any unlawful or violent act against the flotilla, to respect international law and international humanitarian law,” the FO said.
Replying to a question about nations recognising a Palestinian state, the ex-senator expressed displeasure with the fact that European nations are recognising the state according to the 1967 borders and excluding Hamas from the governance process.
“They are not recognising the state according to the 1948 borders, but those from 1967,” he explained. “In doing so, they are ignoring the government, currency and other aspects of the state from that time.
“Hamas is a governing entity which won an election. I demand that Israel grant Palestinians political independence.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli foreign ministry account on X posted another proposal, this time to unload the aid at any country outside Israel.
“If this is not about provocation and serving Hamas, you are welcome to unload any aid you might have at any port in a nearby country outside Israel,” the post read.
Resorting to threats is all Israel seems to know, as the post ends with the question of whether the GSF’s humanitarian mission is about “aid or provocation“.
According to Reuters, Italy suggested that the GSF could leave the aid at Cyprus and that it would then be handed to the Catholic Church’s Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, who would then distribute it in Gaza.
Reacting to their country’s recommendation, Italian volunteers on the GSF categorically rejected the notion of dropping aid in Cyprus.
The Italian group, in a statement, said that their mission stays “true to its original goal of breaking [Israel’s] illegal siege and delivering humanitarian aid to the besieged population of Gaza.”
Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar accused the participants of the GSF by stating that their rejection of Italy’s compromise was supposed proof that “their real purpose is provocation and serving Hamas“.
Israel seems to think it owns the seas and can do what it likes without consequence, including attacking humanitarian vessels on international waters.
In the backdrop of the 80th UNGA, the apartheid state continues to bomb Gaza and extend its aggression to those trying to address the plight of its civilian population.
The latest attack on the flotilla is the third of its kind; however, this time, Israel has faced condemnation for the attack. The first two strikes, which took place on September 10 and 11 in Tunisian waters, targeted the ‘Family’ and ‘Alma’ boats.
Footage of incendiary devices striking the boats was circulated on social media with calls for an investigation. Tunisian authorities, however, denied that any foreign device had intercepted their airspace.
On Friday, Kieran Andrieu — one of the participants on the ‘Family’ boat — said in a video message that the vessel had been decommissioned due to engine failure and would not sail to Gaza.
“The good news is that there are enough spaces on all of the other boats for people to be reallocated, so we are waiting to hear about reallocation and about who’s going where,” he said.
Echoing the sentiments of all the participants on the flotilla, the former JI senator placed emphasis on the commitment to reach Gaza and distribute humanitarian aid.
“We will not stop, we will reach Gaza under any circumstance. We will deliver humanitarian aid, we will break the siege and we will stand against genocide. This is our commitment.”
Header image: People are seen aboard a sailing boat that is part of the Global Sumud Flotilla off the coast of Crete island, Greece, on September 25. — Reuters