SEPANG, Oct 3 — Malaysian humanitarian activist, Muhammad Nadir Al-Nuri Kamaruzaman, confirmed that the activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) who were detained began arriving at the port of Ashdod, Israel, yesterday.
Leading the Sumud Nusantara contingent, he said that the GSF legal team had started contacting them to provide legal aid following the detentions.
"God willing, the Sumud heroes and heroines who were captured have started arriving at the occupation port in Ashdod. GSF lawyers have started contacting them to provide legal services.
"At the very earliest, we will share their developments tomorrow morning. In the meantime, keep up the action!" said the chief executive officer of Cinta Gaza Malaysia (CGM) in a statement on Facebook last night.
Muhammad Nadir Al-Nuri and three other Malaysian volunteers remain in the Mediterranean Sea aboard a vessel called Jong Melayu, which serves as an observation boat.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (KLN) announced that all 23 Malaysians detained by Israel while participating in the GSF humanitarian aid mission are safe and healthy and will be repatriated via a third country.
The detained Malaysians are singer, Heliza Helmi, and her sister, Nur Hazwani Afiqah (aboard the Hio vessel); Nurfarahin Romli (Farah Lee) and Danish Nazran Murad (aboard the Grande Blu vessel); singer Zizi Kirana (aboard the Huga vessel); Musa Nuwayri, Iylia Balqis and Sul Aidil (aboard the Alma vessel); Haikal Abdullah, Muaz Zainal, Zulfadhli Khiduddin and Rusydi Ramli (aboard theSirius vessel).
Also detained are Razali Awang (aboard the Inana vessel); influencer, Nurul Hidayah Mohd Amin, better known as Ardell Aryana (aboard the Mikeno vessel); PU Rahmat, Norhelmi Ab Ghani, Mohd Asmawi Mukhtar, Norazman Ishak (aboard the Estrella vessel); Zainal Rashid and Ustaz Muhammad (aboard the Fair Lady vessel) as well as Muhammad Hareez Adzrami, better known as Haroqs, Muhd Haikal Luqman Zulkefli and Taufiq Mohd Razif (aboard the Free Willy vessel).
Meanwhile, five lawyers, who are also human rights legal activists from Malaysia, are currently in Amman, Jordan, to ensure the Malaysian delegates detained by the Israeli regime during the GSF mission receive transparent and fair legal protection.
The lawyers involved are Dir Kheizwan Kamaruddin, Fahmi Abd Moin, Azril Mohd Amin, Ahmad Nazrin Abu Bakar and Luqman Mazlan.
The legal team will represent the detained Malaysian delegation and liaise with lawyers from The Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (Adalah), based in Israel, in addition to cooperating with international lawyers for the related legal process.
The GSF voyage traversed the Mediterranean Sea carrying food supplies, medicine, and a message of peace urging the cessation of war and the starvation crisis, besides demanding the opening of humanitarian corridor access to Gaza.
A meeting with the families of the Malaysian activists will be held immediately to provide updates and assure them of full support.
Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) director-general Datuk Sani Araby Abdul Alim Araby said the closed-door meeting was important to ensure families were kept informed of the latest developments and to prevent them from being misled by confusion or unverified reports.
"In this matter, families are the main support group. However, they can also be emotionally disturbed when they see reports claiming that the vessels have already been taken to certain areas.
"It is our duty to explain the SOPs (standard operating procedures) and the course of action being taken," he told a press conference here today.
He also assured that the SNCC, together with the legal team and relevant parties, would continue to closely monitor the developments surrounding the detention.
Sani Araby also expressed appreciation for the solidarity shown by Malaysians, describing it as a proud landscape where support on social media was voiced by people from all walks of life, regardless of race or religion.
"The prayers and support of Malaysians will give strength to the families and participants who are now detained. We hope they remain resilient and are granted patience," he said.
Responding to social media criticism regarding the risks taken by flotilla participants, Sani Araby stressed that all participants were fully aware of the dangers they faced.
"They underwent training, understood the risks and still chose to continue the struggle. These risks must be taken to defend the people of Gaza who have long been oppressed. This is not wrong, it is a humanitarian right," he said.
