Former Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who is leading the Pakistani delegation on the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza, has given exclusive comments to Dawn.com about the Israeli drone attacks on two vessels and how it has not deterred the flotilla from completing its mission.

“There were drone attacks for the past two nights; one drone struck the Family boat and another hit a separate vessel,” Khan said over the phone. “There are videos of both attacks, but the Tunisian government has denied the incidents. Accepting the strikes would have major political, diplomatic and military repercussions.”

Khan emphasised that the participants are civil society members and have taken all possible security measures as per their training.

“No foreign government can really guarantee our security,” he said. “You can see, Israel has struck so many countries today, they truly have no respect for international laws or norms.

“We will continue our mission because people are starving and Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war, of genocide. We are going to serve humanity,” he emphasised.

“We are unarmed, we are nonviolent and only carrying humanitarian aid. We expect to sail in three to four hours,” Khan added.

“We are putting our lives at risk, but we are committed. We are unstoppable.”