Ex-Pakistani senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan along with Greta Thunberg arrested as Israel seizes Gaza aid Flotilla

Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla and boarded its ships, detaining former Pakistani senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who was leading the Pakistani delegation on board, as per reports.

According to the Times of Israel, Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza and took several activists into custody, among them Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

In a post on X, the Pak Palestine Forum confirmed, “Pakistani Delegation Lead Ex Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan has been arrested by Israeli Occupying Forces.”

In a separate post, they wrote, “Source: Only one ship has managed to escape, i.e., an observer boat, whose duty was to collect information and escape. Our second delegate, Syed Uzair Nizami, was sailing on the observer boat and shared the information regarding the interception of Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan’s ship.”

The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) is an international, civil-society-led maritime initiative launched in mid-2025. The Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of nearly 50 small boats carrying around 500 passengers, including politicians and activists, set sail from Spain last month with a symbolic cargo of humanitarian aid, mainly food and medicine, for Palestinians in Gaza. 

Its mission was to challenge Israel’s blockade and deliver urgent assistance to the enclave, where people face severe hunger amid Israel’s ongoing military offensive.

Israel Foreign Ministry posted on Thursday, “Already several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port. Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.”