SEPANG: The 23 Malaysians who were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) have arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Tuesday (Oct 7) night.
The group departed from Istanbul International Airport, Turkiye, on Monday (Oct 6) with a transit stop in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before continuing their journey home on Emirates flight EK342, which landed at KLIA at about 10pm.
The activists, who looked spirited despite their ordeal in Israel, made their way to the arrival lobby of Terminal 1, where their families, friends and hundreds of supporters were anxiously waiting.
The first to exit was Muhammad Abdullah, known as Ustad Mad Kecik.
The group was then ushered into waiting buses and brought to hotels to rest, said a Wisma Putra spokesperson.
They were received by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan, and the Federal Territory Mufti Datuk Ahmad Fauwaz Fadzil.
In a media conference held at the lobby, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for securing the release of the group through high-level diplomacy with Turkiye.
Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) director-general Datuk Dr Sani Araby Abdul Alim Araby, who was also at the conference, said the fight doesn't end but continues until Palestine is free.
On Oct 2, the Malaysians were detained by Israel after the ships they were on were intercepted while in the Red Zone in the Mediterranean Sea and were taken to the port of Ashdod, Israel.
The vessels were part of a flotilla of 42 boats with 450 activists from 47 countries carrying humanitarian aid.
They were later released and departed from Ramon Airport, Israel, at 6.45pm Malaysian time on Oct 5 before being deported to Istanbul.
The Malaysians detained were singer Heliza Helmi and her sister Nur Hazwani Afiqah (who was on board the vessel Hio); Nurfarahin Romli (Farah Lee) and Danish Nazran Murad (Grande Blu); singer Zizi Kirana (Huga); Musa Nuwayri, Iylia Balqis and Sul Aidil (Alma); Haikal Abdullah, Muaz Zainal, Zulfadhli Khiruddin and Rusydi Ramli (Sirius); Razali Awang (Inana); influencer Nurul Hidayah Mohd Amin or 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 or Haroqs, Muhd Haikal Luqman Zulkefli and Taufiq Mohd Razif (Free Willy).
