Kuwait closely monitoring nationals detained by Israel from Gaza aid flotilla

Kuwait said Thursday that it is closely monitoring the situation of detained nationals aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla that was attacked by Israeli forces while sailing toward Gaza.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya told the state news agency KUNA that his ministry “is exerting all possible efforts to ensure the safety of the citizens and is working for their immediate release.”

Yahya stressed that ensuring the safety of the Kuwaiti citizens is “a top priority.”

“The Foreign Ministry will spare no efforts in this regard,” he added.

According to the official flotilla tracker, three Kuwaiti nationals were aboard the international aid convoy, two of whom were detained following an Israeli attack on their vessel Spectre.

Israeli naval forces attacked 21 vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla since late Wednesday and detained at least 317 activists aboard, according to the official flotilla tracker. Nineteen other boats are estimated to be facing Israeli attacks, while four are still on their way to Gaza.

The detained activists are being transported to Israel’s Ashdod Port, from where they will be deported to Europe, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

The flotilla, loaded mainly with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail late August to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza.

It marked the first time in years that dozens of ships have sailed together toward Gaza and managed to approach the enclave this closely, which has been under Israeli blockade for roughly 18 years.

Israel tightened the siege further this March by closing all border crossings and blocking food, medicine, and aid, pushing Gaza into famine despite aid trucks piling up at its borders.

The Israeli army has killed over 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.