KUWAIT CITY, Oct 2: Kuwait Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya has stated that the ministry is closely and attentively following developments surrounding the detention of Kuwaiti citizens who were participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla. In an official statement, Minister Al-Yahya affirmed that the ministry was exerting every possible effort to ensure the safety of the detained citizens and to secure their immediate release. He emphasized that preserving the well-being of Kuwaiti citizens is a top priority, and the ministry will leave no stone unturned in fulfilling this responsibility. Citizen Khaled Musaed Al-Abduljader appeared in a video clip in which he confirmed he was kidnapped by Israeli occupation forces. He stated, “I am Khaled Musaed Al-Abduljader, a Kuwaiti citizen. If you are watching this video, it means I have been kidnapped by the occupying Zionist entity, despite our trip being peaceful to break the siege on Gaza. I urge the state to take immediate action to secure my release.”
Another citizen Abdullah Mubarak Al-Mutawa appeared in a clip in which he said, “I am your brother, Abdullah Mubarak Al-Mutawa from the State of Kuwait, by the grace of God Almighty. Every year, I donate zakat to different countries, once to Bangladesh, once to the East, once to the West, and once to Africa. “This time, I was allowed to go to the country we see as most in need, which is Gaza. I thought this is a chance for me to donate zakat with love, peace, security, and peace of mind, to carry with it a message of goodness and mercy, and to embark on a beautiful journey without any kind of violence. Unfortunately, I have been kidnapped by Israeli military forces. I hope and appeal to the government to do its utmost to follow up on the matter and secure my release from the clutches of the Israeli military forces.”
In addition to citizens Al-Mutawa and Al-Abduljader, Dr. Muhammad Jamal is also participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla. Israeli naval forces boarded most of the vessels in a fl otilla attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza on Thursday and detained dozens aboard, including European lawmakers, drawing widespread condemnation. The Global Sumud Flotilla was the largest yet to try to break the blockade, and it comes at a time of growing criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, where its offensive has laid waste to wide swaths of territory and killed tens of thousands of people. Activists had said they hoped that the sheer number of boats would make it more difficult for Israeli authorities to intercept them all - but Israel’s Foreign Ministry declared the operation over on Thursday afternoon. Supporters of the flotilla took to the streets in several major cities after news of the interception broke - including in Rome; Istanbul; Athens, Greece; and Buenos Aires, Argentina - to decry the Israeli operation and the ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip. In the northern Italian city of Bologna, dozens of protesters and university students scuffled with police outside the city’s central train station. Police in riot gear used batons to push back the protesters who were trying to occupy the train station and chanting “Free Palestine” and “Shame on you”. Italy’s largest union called for a one-day general strike on Friday. The flotilla, which started out with more than 40 boats and nearly 450 activists, was carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Its main goal, they said, remained “to break Israel’s illegal siege and end the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.”
By Fares Ghaleb Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff and Agencies
