Freedom Flotilla with 9 M'sians intercepted by Israel this morning

Israeli forces intercepted the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) humanitarian mission to Gaza at 10.50am Malaysian time today, reported Bernama.

In a statement, Humanitarian Care Malaysia (MyCare) said nine vessels, including the Conscience and Umm Saad, which were carrying nine Malaysian activists, were intercepted, although detailed information about the participants has yet to be confirmed.

“Eight Malaysians were on board the Conscience, and one was on the Umm Saad. MyCare will hold a press conference at noon today,” the statement read.

In total, the current FFC mission comprises about 150 participants from 25 countries, with MyCare leading the Malaysian delegation.

Yesterday, MyCare CEO Kamarul Zaman Shaharul Anwar said the FFC humanitarian mission was expected to enter the red zone at about 5pm Malaysian time today, moving closer to high-risk waters.

The FFC mission involves eight Malaysian representatives aboard the Conscience, which departed Porto Otranto, Italy, on Sept 30. The group is led by Mohd Alauddin and includes three doctors, Dr Fauziah Mohd Hassan, Dr Hafiz Sulaiman, and Dr Ili Syakira Mohd Suhaimi.

Also on board are two lecturers, Mohd Afandi Salleh and Noorhasyimah Ismail, MyCare Board of Trustees member Norsham Abu Bakar, and Astro Awani journalist Syafik Shukri Abdul Jalil.

Another Malaysian representative, Maziah Muhammad, is on board the Umm Saad, which departed from Catania, Sicily, on Sept 27 along with seven other vessels bound for Gaza.

The vessels are part of a humanitarian peace mission led by the FFC in collaboration with Thousand Madleens to Gaza (TMTG), aimed at providing live coverage and delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, which remains under Israeli blockade.

PM condemns act

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim criticised the Israeli authorities’ actions, describing them as against international laws.

“I condemn this provocative and illegal act. Intercepting a humanitarian mission to help those in Gaza is inhumane and against human rights values,” he said on Facebook today.

The Tambun MP then called for the activists and volunteers to be released immediately, with no harm inflicted upon them.

“And the Madani government will do our best to ensure Malaysians involved in the mission are protected.

“We will reach out to our partner nations and other international groups to ensure they are released soon,” he added.

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