ISLAMABAD

Pakistan’s former senator and prominent activist, Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, has vowed to continue fighting for Palestine following his release from illegal Israeli detention.

Khan and 150 other pro-Palestinian activists arrived in Jordan early Tuesday after being released from Israel's illegal detention center, where they had been held since last week following an Israeli attack on the Global Sumud flotilla in international waters. The activists aboard the flotilla were attempting to break the inhumane Gaza siege.

In a video message from Amman, Jordan’s capital, Khan said Israeli authorities tortured pro-Palestinian activists during their illegal custody.

"During that time (in jail) our hands were handcuffed behind our backs, chains were placed on our feet, guns were pointed at us, dogs were unleashed on us and we were subjected to severe torture," Khan said in the statement posted on his US social media platform Facebook page.

Khan, 51, said the flotilla activists went on a three-day hunger strike in protest of Israeli inhumanity.

"We had no access to drinking water, medication, or adequate ventilation. We were denied access to basic necessities in what we experienced in the notorious facility," he added.

He vowed to continue his struggle for Palestine's freedom, saying: "We will break the blockade again to save Gaza and bring all those responsible for genocide in Gaza to justice.

"From Adiala to Israeli prisons, this struggle will continue. This struggle will persist until the liberation of Palestine and the fight of resistance will go on."

Adiala is a Pakistani prison located in Rawalpindi, near the capital, Islamabad.

Khan led six Pakistani activists on the flotilla.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed Khan's release from Israeli custody, saying he is "now safely with the Pakistan Embassy in Amman."

"He is in good health and high spirits. The Embassy stands ready to facilitate his return to Pakistan, in accordance with his wishes and convenience," Dar wrote on the US social media platform X.

The flotilla, made up of activists from various nations, had set sail to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza when it was attacked by Israeli forces in international waters last week.

Israeli naval forces attacked and seized vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla beginning on Wednesday, detaining more than 470 activists from over 50 countries. The flotilla was trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade of the enclave.

Israel has maintained the blockade of Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years.

Since October 2023, Israeli military operations have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave all but uninhabitable, with widespread starvation and the spread of disease.