KUALA LUMPUR: The group of Italian vessels that form a part of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) that was previously docked at Porto Portopalo in Capo Passero, in the waters south of Italy, is now making its journey towards Gaza.
Muslim Care Malaysia media director Tuan Asri Tuan Hussein, who is a GSF convoy volunteer, said the Italian group was expected to meet up with the Greek vessels of the flotilla midway through their journey.
"We expect to move out at 10am local time (Italian time), and we are given to understand that a majority of the flotilla, including the Italian group, will also set sail, while the Tunisian and Spanish groups are expected to make some preparations before setting off.
"All Spanish and Tunisian ships of the flotilla have met up, and we from Italy will link up with the Greeks midway at a certain point before heading towards Gaza," he said when contacted by Bernama.
He explained that the journey to Gaza will take between nine and 12 days, depending on sea and weather conditions.
The Italian vessels were supposed to meet up with the Spanish and Tunisian ships before heading directly to Gaza via Malta and Greece, but about 40 vessels had to dock at Portopalo due to bad weather and sea conditions.
All Malaysian volunteers under the Sumud Nusantara group are led by Cinta Gaza Malaysia chief executive officer Muhammad Nadir Al-Nuri Kamaruzaman, and the approximately 70 vessels of the GSF, with over 1,000 volunteers, are carrying food, medicine and peace messages to Gaza, and are scheduled to arrive in the middle of this month.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is the patron of Sumud Nusantara, which involves Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, the Philippines and Thailand.
The GSF, bringing together international coalitions from Europe, Asia, South Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, aims to break the siege of Gaza, with all delegations stressing the principle of non-aggression and the role of ships as a symbol of global solidarity for the Gaza crisis. – Bernama
