12 Malaysians Held As Israel Intercepts Gaza Aid Flotilla

By Danial Martinus  •  02 Oct 2025 in News

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12 Malaysians have been detained after Israeli forces stormed the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), a massive humanitarian convoy attempting to break Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza.

The flotilla set sail on 31 August 2025 with more than 50 ships and hundreds of activists from over 44 countries on board. It’s the largest maritime mission to Gaza to date.

Livestreams captured tense scenes

As the GSF convoy neared Gaza’s shores in the early hours of Wednesday, 2 October, livestreams showed tense scenes as Israeli forces illegally boarded various vessels and detained the activists.

By 6 a.m. MYT, the Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) confirmed that several Malaysians had been detained, including singer Zizi Kirana, who was aboard the vessel ‘Huga’.

Also held were Musa Nuwayri, Iylia Balqis, and Sul Aidil from ‘Alma’, alongside Haikal Abdullah, Muaz Zainal, Zulfadhli Khiduddin, and Rusydi Ramli from ‘Sirius’.

The whereabouts of five others—PU Rahmat, Norhelmi, Mohd Asmawi, and Norazman on the ‘Estrella’ and actress Ardell Aryana on the ‘Mikeno’—remain unknown, since contact with them has been lost.

SNCC said nine vessels had been flagged as “under attack”, with at least 13 more sending out distress signals. While no injuries have been reported so far, footage from the scene shows the sheer intensity of the interception.

Global Sumud organisers have since reaffirmed that their humanitarian mission will continue.

Condemnations from Anwar

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wasted no time in condemning the attack. In a strongly worded statement on social media, Anwar accused Israel of showing “utter contempt not only for the rights of the Palestinian people but also for the conscience of the world” by blocking the convoy.

He described the flotilla as a symbol of “solidarity, compassion, and the hope of relief for those under blockade.”

He also stated that Malaysia would pursue any lawful means necessary to hold Israel accountable for the detention of Malaysian citizens.

“The safety and dignity of our people are paramount, and we will not allow them to be compromised with impunity,” he said.

For now, all we can do is wait.

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