Global Sumud Flotilla: Malaysian volunteers arrive in Istanbul

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the news was confirmed by Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) director-general Datuk Dr Sani Araby Abdul Alim Araby.

"Alhamdulillah, Datuk Sani Araby has just informed that the 23 Malaysian GSF volunteers have safely arrived in Istanbul.

"May Allah SWT grant them strength and ease their journey home," he said in a Facebook post.

Earlier, SNCC confirmed that a special aircraft carrying all the Malaysian activists had departed Ramon Airport in Israel, at 6.45 pm Malaysian time.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, in a Facebook post, said all 23 Malaysians had departed on a special Turkish flight, TK6921, from Ramon Airport.

The 23 Malaysians were detained by Israeli forces on Thursday after their ships were intercepted in the R3 Red Zone waters of the Mediterranean Sea and taken to the port of Ashdod in Israel.

They are singer Heliza Helmi and her younger sister Nur Hazwani Afiqah, who were on 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 on the vessel Inana; influencer Nurul Hidayah Mohd Amin, better known as Ardell Aryana (Mikeno); PU Rahmat, Norhelmi Ab Ghani, Mohd Asmawi Mukhtar, Norazman Ishak (Estrella); Zainal Rashid and Ustaz Muhammad Abdullah (Fair Lady), as well as Muhammad Hareez Adzrami, better known as Haroqs, Muhd Haikal Luqman Zulkefli and Taufiq Mohd Razif (Free Willy).

The GSF, comprising over 500 activists from 45 countries, set sail for Gaza as a symbol of solidarity and an effort to break the Israeli blockade, while delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

-- BERNAMA