Israeli forces intercept 13 Malaysians on Gaza aid flotilla, eight confirmed detained

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — Thirteen Malaysians on board five Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) ships have lost contact with the Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC), after being intercepted by Israeli forces in Gaza waters tonight (Gaza time).

As of 6 am (Malaysian time), eight of them including singer Zizi Kirana, whose real name is Nur Fazelah Mad Tahil, on board the vessel Huga, were confirmed detained by Israeli forces.

Others detained were Musa Nuwayri, Iylia Balqis and Sul Aidil from the vessel Alma, while Haikal Abdullah, Muaz Zainal, Zulfadhli Khiduddin and Rusydi Ramli were on Sirius.

The status of five others — PU Rahmat, Norhelmi, Mohd Asmawi and Norazman, who were on Estrella, as well as actress Ardell Aryana on Mikeno — remains unknown.

Meanwhile, the SNCC tracker system reported that nine vessels were under “attack” status, while 13 others had sent “emergency” signals.

Humanitarian activists on board also shared live streams showing tense scenes as Israeli forces surrounded and attempted to disable the aid convoy, which was en route to the Gaza coast.

There have been no reports of injuries so far, but the GSF delegation stressed its commitment to continue the mission despite the aggressive actions of Israeli forces.

SNCC director-general Datuk Dr Sani Araby Abdul Alim Araby said the Malaysian volunteers had earlier managed to update their situation and indicated they would throw their phones into the sea if their vessels were intercepted in Red Zone R2.

“In fact, all of them were in high spirits and confident earlier,” he said.

He said that apart from jamming communications with radar jammers, the GSF convoy also came under pressure from water cannon attacks by Israeli military vessels, which targeted smaller ships to stop them from entering Red Zone R2. — Bernama