SEPANG: All 428 humanitarian activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) 2.0, including 29 Malaysians detained by Israeli forces in international waters, have been released.
The Malaysian group is due to return home on Sunday, said Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) director-general Datuk Sani Araby Abdul Alim Araby.
He said the SNCC had been informed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic) that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had dispatched three Turkish Airlines aircraft to Ramon Airport, located in Israeli territory.
All the 428 flotilla activists were being transferred by bus to Ramon Airport, and were expected to travel to Istanbul on three special Turkish government-sponsored flights, TK6919, TK6921 and TK6925, he said.
“The three special Turkish Airlines flights are expected to depart from the Israeli territory at about 8pm Malaysian time.
“The flight is expected to arrive at 10pm Malaysian time and will be received by the Malaysian Embassy in Turkiye, Wisma Putra, as well as the Turkish government,” he told a press conference on the latest developments of the GSF 2.0 mission, Bernama reported.
Earlier yesterday, Sani Araby spoke about Anwar giving his assurance and commitment to lead efforts through bilateral ties to secure the immediate release of the humanitarian activists.
The commitment was conveyed by the Prime Minister during a telephone conversation, he said.
“The Prime Minister is leading all efforts together with the Malaysian government by leveraging close bilateral relations and has been in close contact with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to press for the immediate release of all detained activists, ensure their safety and prevent them from being imprisoned at Ketziot Prison.”
Sani Araby said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan had also informed SNCC that Wisma Putra had intensified diplomatic efforts with Turkiye and several other countries.
He said preparations involving Malaysian embassy representatives in Istanbul, Amman and Cairo had also been made to ensure the safety and release of the Malaysians.
The SNCC also condemned alleged acts of violence, mental torture and intimidation by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, as well as Israeli naval forces, against the activists.
Sani Araby said the reported actions violated international humanitarian law and United Nations resolutions.
Such conduct also contravened the Rome Statute, under which torture, assault or inhumane treatment of detainees constitutes a serious breach of the Geneva Conventions, he said.
A viral video posted online by Ben-Gvir reportedly showed detained activists with their hands tied and being forced to kneel after being intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.
On Wednesday, SNCC confirmed that all 50 vessels under the GSF 2.0 mission, carrying 428 humanitarian activists from 40 countries, were intercepted about 80 nautical miles off the Gaza coast.
Sani Araby also said conflicting statements from Israeli leaders regarding Ben-Gvir’s actions indicated internal divisions within the Israeli administration.
“This is because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with the foreign minister and Israel’s ambassador to the United States, described the actions as reckless and inconsistent with Israel’s values.”
He said that at least 87 detained activists had begun a large-scale hunger strike in protest against what they described as unlawful detention and mistreatment.
Sani Araby said the incident had sparked international outrage and condemnation, including demonstrations and statements issued in Italy, Turkiye, Spain, France, Belgium, Ireland, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, Australia and Portugal, as well as by international organisations.
“They also condemned the interception and detention of humanitarian flotilla activists in international waters,” he said.
