By Anadolu staff
ANKARA — Australian Senator Fatima Payman on Thursday urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government to act swiftly to protect six Australian citizens detained by Israeli forces after their participation in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
“The Australian government needs to ensure the safety and protection of its citizens on the Global Sumud Flotilla and demand for their immediate release! I commend our 6 brave Aussies for being the conscience of our nation and having the courage, many in positions of power and influence, fail to demonstrate,” Payman said in a statement posted on Instagram.
She said the flotilla’s aims were “humanitarian and peaceful” and should not be met with arrests.
“The blockade of Gaza has caused immense human suffering for years. Efforts such as the flotilla represent the determination of people around the world to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and to deliver desperately needed assistance,” she added.
Her remarks came as condemnation of Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla widened, with Malaysia, Pakistan and the Maldives among the countries demanding the “immediate” release of illegally detained activists.
Israeli naval forces attacked 21 vessels of the flotilla late Wednesday and detained at least 317 activists, according to the official flotilla tracker. Nineteen other boats were reported under Israeli attack, while four were still sailing toward Gaza.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the detained passengers were being taken to Ashdod Port and would be deported to Europe. It described the flotilla as the “Hamas Flotilla” on its official account on X.
The flotilla, carrying humanitarian aid and medical supplies, departed in late August in an attempt to break Israel’s 18-year blockade of Gaza. It marked the first time in years that dozens of ships had approached the enclave this closely.
Israel tightened its siege in March by shutting border crossings and blocking food, medicine and other relief supplies, pushing Gaza into famine despite aid trucks massing at its borders.
The Israeli military has killed more than 66,100 Palestinians — most of them women and children — in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave all but uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of disease.