SEPANG: The Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) has confirmed that only one out of 42 vessels participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) mission is still sailing towards Gaza's waters.
According to a screen display at the SNCC here, the vessel Marinette is currently in the yellow zone in international waters, but there are no Malaysian activists on board.
The vessel was reported to be about 80 nautical miles from Gaza last night and 10 nautical miles from the point where Israel began intercepting other boats in the flotilla.
The voyage of the Marinette can be tracked at globalsumudflotilla.org/live.
GSF confirmed that more than 450 activists from 47 countries have been transferred to the Port of Ashdod in southern Israel.
The activists on board the ships attacked by Israel included nationals of Malaysia, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Turkiye, Greece, the United States, Germany, Sweden, Britain and France.
In a statement, Israel's Foreign Ministry said the detained activists are being taken to the Port of Ashdod before being deported to Europe.
The Anadolu news agency quoted Israeli public broadcaster KAN as reporting earlier that in a 12-hour operation, naval forces seized 41 vessels carrying about 400 participants as they sailed towards Gaza.
The flotilla, which was carrying humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail at the end of August. It was the first time in several years that about 50 vessels sailed together towards Gaza, carrying hundreds of civilians in support of the mission.
Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years, and tightened the restrictions in March when it closed border crossings and blocked the delivery of food and medicine, pushing the territory into famine.
Since October 2023, Israeli bombings have killed more than 66,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
The United Nations and human rights groups have repeatedly warned that the territory is becoming uninhabitable, with famine and disease spreading rapidly.
The SNCC also said the Marinette sped up as it entered the Red Zone.
As of 2pm on Friday (Oct 3), a screen display at SNCC showed that the Marinette had entered the Red Zone R2 at a speed of 5.99 knots and was currently about 77 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza.
It was seen passing the locations where the vessels Morgana and Seulle were intercepted by Israel on Thursday (Oct 2).
SNCC spokesperson Nur Adibah Razali said the Marinette's average speed was usually between 4.5 and 5 knots.
"If it's going close to 6 knots, that means it wants to go faster. We can also view the situation there during the day through the video feed and if an interception by the Israeli side occurs, it can be seen live," she said. – Bernama
