Kuwait and Bahrain said several of their citizens taking part in the Gaza Sumud Flotilla have been detained by Israeli authorities, adding that the Gulf nations are closely monitoring the situation.

In a statement to Kuwaiti news agency KUNA, Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali al-Yahya said that the ministry is exerting all possible efforts to “ensure the safety of the detained citizens and to secure their release as soon as possible.”

Al-Yahya stressed that the wellbeing of the Kuwaiti nationals remains a top priority.

The Bahraini foreign ministry also said that it is closely following up on the status of its citizens detained by Israeli forces “along with others from the Gulf Cooperation Council,” with the aim to release them at the soonest.

“The kingdom’s embassy in Tel Aviv is in coordination with the relevant sides in order to ensure their safe return home,” the ministry said, according to the Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

The Global Sumud Flotilla of around 45 vessels began its voyage to Gaza last month, with politicians and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg aiming to break Israel’s siege of the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations says famine has set in.

Both reports didn’t specify the number of detained Kuwaiti or Bahraini citizens.

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