KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — Thirteen Malaysians onboard five Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) ships have lost contact with the Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) after the flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces in Gaza waters last night.
As at 6am Malaysian time, eight of them on the ship Huga, including singer Zizi Kirana, were confirmed to have been detained by Israel forces.
The others detained were Musa Nuwayri, Iylia Balqis and Sul Aidil, who were on the vessel Alma, as well as Haikal Abdullah, Muaz Zainal, Zulfadhli Khiduddin and Rusydi Ramli who were on Sirius.
The status of five others — PU Rahmat, Norhelmi, Mohd Asmawi and Norazman, who were on Estrella, as well as actress Ardell Aryana on Mikeno — remains unknown.
Meanwhile, the SNCC tracker system reported that nine vessels were under “attack” status, while 13 others had sent “emergency” signals.
Activists onboard shared livestreams of tense scenes as Israeli forces surrounded and attempted to disable the aid convoy, which was en route to the Gaza coast.
There have been no reports of injuries so far, but the GSF delegation stressed its commitment to continue the mission despite the aggressive actions of Israeli forces.
SNCC director-general Datuk Sani Araby Abdul Alim Araby said Malaysian volunteers had managed to update the centre on their situation and indicated they would throw their phones to sea if their vessels were intercepted in Red Zone R2.
“They were in high spirits and confident earlier,” he said.
He said that apart from blocking communications with radar jammers, Israeli military vessels also attacked the GSF convoy with water cannon, targeting smaller ships to block them from entering Red Zone R2.