Parliament motion urges govt to ascertain safety of Maldivians on Gaza aid flotilla

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) submitted an emergency motion to the Parliament on Thursday, urging the Maldivian government to ascertain the safety of Maldivian citizens on the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying aid to Gaza.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, carrying humanitarian aid and medical supplies, had set sail for Gaza at the end of August.

It was the largest such mission in years, with 50 vessels carrying more than 500 activists from over 45 countries, including the Maldives.

Israel has intercepted some of the vessels in international waters as it neared Gaza’s coast, and has detained multiple activists on board, including Greta Thunberg.

As the Parliament reopened after recess on Thursday morning, Kendhoo MP Mauroof Zakir submitted an emergency motion condemned the storming of the Global Sumud Flotilla.

The motion gained bipartisan support, and was accepted for debate with a unanimous vote of 57.

In his motion, Mauroof condemned the Israeli interception of the aid vessels, and urged the Maldivian administration to ascertain the safety of the Maldivian citizens on board.

The motion called on the Maldivian government to “identify and do whatever it can to condemn this, ascertain the safety of the Maldivian citizens joining this movement, and for the state to join this movement.”

The Global Sumud Flotilla marks the biggest mission to date to attempt to break Israel’s aid blockage in Gaza, where it has been carrying out relentless genocidal attacks.

On board one of the observer vessels in the flotilla is Ibrahim Shaz (Bodey) the secretary general of the International Aid Campaign (IAC) Maldives. However, the emergency motion suggests there’s also another Maldivian activist onboard the flotilla.

Israeli naval forces boarded the vessels on late Wednesday about 70 nautical miles or 130 kilometers off the coast of Gaza, cutting communications and jamming signals as the flotilla neared the blockaded enclave.

In total, at least 13 vessels that are part of the flotilla have been intercepted at sea, and some 200 activists, including Greta Thunberg, have been arrested so far.

According to the flotilla’s live tracker, at least 26 vessels are still sailing, with the closest vessels to Gaza’s coastline appearing to be approximately 50-60 kilometers away.