SEPANG, Oct 8 — Twenty-three Malaysian volunteers detained by Israeli forces during the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) humanitarian mission to Gaza returned home safely last night to an emotional and heartfelt welcome at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1.
The group departed from Istanbul International Airport, Turkiye, at 11.20 pm local time on Monday, with a transit stop in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before continuing their journey home on Emirates flight EK342, which landed at KLIA at 10.07 pm.
They were welcomed by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, representatives of the Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC), non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and hundreds of Palestine supporters who chanted “Free Free Palestine” and “Allahuakbar” while waving Palestinian flags.
Family members and fellow activists embraced one another amid tears and prayers of thankfulness, marking the end of an anxious ordeal following the volunteers’ detention by Israeli forces. The flotilla’s vessels were intercepted in the red zone of the Mediterranean Sea on Oct 2 and they were later taken to the port of Ashdod, Israel.
The 23 Malaysian volunteers included singer Heliza Helmi and her sister Nur Hazwani Afiqah (aboard the Hio vessel), Nurfarahin Romli (also known as Farah Lee) and Danish Nazran Murad (Grande Blu), singer Zizi Kirana (Huga), and Musa Nuwayri, Iylia Balqis and Sul Aidil (Alma).
Also part of the mission were Haikal Abdullah, Muaz Zainal, Zulfadhli Khiduddin and Rusydi Ramli (Sirius), Razali Awang (Inana), social media influencer Nurul Hidayah Mohd Amin, better known as Ardell Aryana (Mikeno), PU Rahmat, Norhelmi Ab Ghani, Mohd Asmawi Mukhtar and Norazman Ishak (Estrella), Zainal Rashid and Ustaz Muhammad Abdullah (Fair Lady), as well as Muhammad Hareez Adzrami (Haroqs), Muhd Haikal Luqman Zulkefli and Taufiq Mohd Razif (Free Willy).
Also returning with them were four activists from the observer vessel Summertime-Jong, namely Cinta Gaza Malaysia chief executive officer Muhammad Nadir Al-Nuri Kamaruzaman, Mazian Seman, Serieffa Mushtafa Albakry, and Ariff Budiman.
Five human rights lawyers also returned with the group, namely Azril Mohd Amin, Fahmi Abd Moin, Dir Kheizwan Kamaruddin, Ahmad Nazrin Abu Bakar and Luqman Mazlan.
On Oct 2, Israeli forces intercepted all 42 vessels of the GSF and detained 495 activists who were later released in stages beginning Oct 4.
The successful repatriation of all Malaysian participants reflects the effectiveness of Malaysia’s cross-border diplomacy under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, involving negotiations with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkiye’s National Security Chief Dr Ibrahim Kalin.
The release process also involved close international coordination, including discussions between Malaysian Foreign Minister and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as the Jordanian government, and between Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
After being flown out of Israel last Saturday on a commercial Turkish Airlines flight arranged and fully sponsored by the Turkish government, all Malaysian volunteers — hailed as heroes and heroines by the Prime Minister — underwent medical check-ups in Istanbul before returning home.
Besides the Malaysian volunteers, other GSF participants who have been released include environmental activist Greta Thunberg, Turkish journalist Ersin Celik, European Parliament member Rima Hassan, and several other activists from various countries.
To date, nearly 140 GSF participants remain detained, including 13 Brazilian nationals.
The GSF mission, which involved about 500 activists from 44 countries, sailed toward Gaza as a symbol of solidarity and an effort to break Israel’s blockade, carrying essential supplies for Palestinians affected by the ongoing attacks by the Zionist regime.
All Malaysian volunteers are expected to join the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet at the ‘Himpunan Solidariti Bersama Gaza’ at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil, at 8 pm tonight.
The rally aims to express the people’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause.
