Govt will ensure safe return of M'sian participants of GSF mission from Turkiye - PM Anwar

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, through a Facebook post tonight, said the repatriation process would be carried out by the Malaysian government machinery under the management of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Istanbul.

Anwar said that the 23 Malaysians, whom he described as national heroes and heroines and who have been released from detention in Israel, will also be provided with comprehensive support and assistance, including health checks and psychological support.

"Praise be to Allah SWT, our 23 heroes and heroines have safely arrived in Istanbul, Turkiye. May all arrangements for the return journey of these Malaysian children be made easy and protected by Allah SWT. Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God)!" he said in the post.

The Director-General of the Sumud Nusantara Operations Centre (SNCC), Datuk Dr Sani Araby Abdul Alim, informed a daily press conference this evening that the 23 Malaysian delegates safely arrived at Istanbul International Airport at 8:40 pm Malaysian time.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, in a Facebook post, said all 23 Malaysians involved departed aboard a special Turkish government flight, TK6921, from Ramon Airport, Israel.

Earlier, Anwar expressed his thanks in a separate post to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other world leaders who played an important role in facilitating the release process of all Malaysian activists and volunteers.

On Thursday, 23 Malaysian activists participating in the GSF mission were detained by the Zionist regime's military after their ships were intercepted while in the R3 Red Zone waters, in the Mediterranean Sea, and subsequently taken to Ashdod port, Israel.

The detained Malaysians included singer Heliza Helmi and her sister, Nur Hazwani Afiqah (aboard the vessel Hio); Nurfarahin Romli (Farah Lee) and Danish Nazran Murad (Grande Blu vessel); singer Zizi Kirana (Huga vessel); Musa Nuwayri, Iylia Balqis, and Sul Aidil (Alma vessel); Haikal Abdullah, Muaz Zainal, Zulfadhli Khiruddin, and Rusydi Ramli (Sirius vessel).

The list also included Razali Awang (Inana vessel); influencer Nurul Hidayah Mohd Amin (better known as Ardell Aryana) (Mikeno vessel); PU Rahmat, Norhelmi Ab Ghani, Mohd Asmawi Mukhtar, Norazman Ishak (Estrella vessel); Zainal Rashid and Ustaz Muhammad Abdullah (Fair Lady vessel); and Muhammad Hareez Adzrami (better known as Haroqs), Muhd Haikal Luqman Zulkefli, and Taufiq Mohd Razif (Free Willy vessel).

The GSF involved more than 500 activists from 45 countries sailing towards Gaza as a symbol of solidarity and an effort to break the Israeli blockade, while delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.