KUALA LUMPUR: The joint humanitarian mission of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens to Gaza (FFC x TMTG) which is currently in international waters near Greece, is determined to continue its voyage to Gaza, despite the risk of being sabotaged by the Israeli military as was done to the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF).
A Malaysian volunteer who joined the FFC x TMTG, Prof Dr Mohd Afandi Salleh, said the spirit of every activist of this humanitarian mission will not fade in an attempt to break the Israeli siege on Gaza in international waters.
He said the joint humanitarian mission which brought food supplies and medicine to the people of Gaza is expected to arrive in the region within three days.
"We feel this is a wave we must take and continue to show the world the injustice of Israel arresting humanitarian activists in international waters," he said via video call on Bernama TV's Malaysia Petang Ini broadcast today.
Mohd Afandi is among eight Malaysian volunteers participating in the third wave of the humanitarian aid mission to Gaza under the FFC x TMTG alliance, aboard the FFC ship Conscience led by Prof Emeritus Dr Mohd Alauddin Mohd Ali.
Also present were Dr Fauziah Hassan, Dr Hafiz Sulaiman and Dr Ili Syakira Mohd Suhaimi, as well as Astro Awani journalist Syafik Shukri Abdul Jalil, lecturer Dr Noorhasyimah Ismail and MyCARE Board of Trustees member Norsham Abu Bakar.
According to Mohd Afandi, among the risks expected to occur when the ship enters the red zone is the high possibility that communication between the ship and the outside world will be cut off by the Israeli military, as has happened in previous missions.
He said that currently, communication systems such as Starlink are used on the ship to ensure that activists can channel information directly throughout the voyage via various social media platforms.
The Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) today announced that 15 Malaysian GSF humanitarian volunteers were confirmed to have been detained by Israeli forces after the ship they were on was intercepted, while five other Malaysians were reported to have lost contact with the command centre.
Mohd Afandi described Israel's action as proof that the Zionist regime is not only oppressing the people of Gaza but also oppressing international humanitarian activists.
Therefore, he urged governments around the world to take firm diplomatic action against Israel and demand the immediate release of all detained humanitarian activists.
"Like the people in European countries who have risen up to demand that their countries take diplomatic and political action against Israel because all these flotillas are humanitarian missions carrying medicine and food and drink supplies," he said. - Bernama
