Malaysia seeks Turkiye's help to bring home GSF volunteers

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the request was made following positive developments from diplomatic discussions with several key world leaders, including Erdogan, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"I have requested the good offices of President Erdogan to, if possible, bring our (Malaysian) volunteers from any location around Israel to Istanbul on a special Turkish aircraft that will be carrying his own citizens.

"From Istanbul, insya-Allah, we will bring our Malaysians home. Several preliminary understandings have been reached since this morning," he said.

He told reporters this after performing Friday prayers at Al-Khadijah Mosque, Jalan Pantai Sentral 2, in Lembah Pantai today.

Anwar said Malaysia's close relations with the United States, Qatar and Turkiye had greatly assisted efforts to secure the release of the volunteers, a fact acknowledged by Turkiye's National Security Chief Dr Ibrahim Kalin.

He said that although Malaysia has no ties with the Zionist regime of Israel, diplomatic channels with friendly nations had played a crucial role in managing the matter.

"I personally spoke with the Prime Minister of Qatar to obtain the latest developments. In addition, we have also engaged with the United States, including Rubio as well as Steve Witkoff (United States Special Envoy to the Middle East), who helped coordinate the agreement.

"Through (Foreign Minister) Datuk Mohamad Hasan and (Home Minister) Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution, we continued communication with Turkish President Erdogan, who has tasked Dr Ibrahim Kalin to assist us. This is important because we need comprehensive international pressure.

"This is what we mean by the wisdom of diplomacy -- we engage closely with all parties, because the only one that can truly influence Israel is the United States. Therefore, we use the channels of Qatar and Turkiye to convey our position," he said.

Anwar said all the detained Malaysians were in safe condition despite being held unjustly, and stressed that efforts to secure their release would continue using every reasonable means.

"My main duty is to find a way to save them, by whatever reasonable methods possible. We also pray that Allah Almighty protects them.

"We hope our people are not harassed or abused. Being imprisoned itself is already a form of abuse. However, so far, reports from Turkiye indicate that their situation is under control," he said.

Anwar said the process of bringing home all Malaysian volunteers is expected to take two or three days if negotiations proceed smoothly.

Yesterday, Sumud Nusantara Command Centre director-general Datuk Dr Sani Araby Abdul Alim Araby confirmed that 23 Malaysian activists had been detained by Israeli forces after communications were cut off and visuals showed their detention.

The GSF, comprising more than 500 activists from 44 countries, sailed towards Gaza as a symbol of solidarity and an effort to break the Israeli blockade.

The humanitarian mission drew global attention with the participation of international figures, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon and Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela.