Around two dozen Malaysians who were abducted by Israel during its attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla in the Mediterranean sea last week returned home on a special flight on Tuesday, October 7, after spending three days in Israeli imprisonment.
The 23 activists, belonging to various organizations, reached Kuala Lumpur airport from Istanbul where they were deported to by Israel on Sunday.
The Malaysian activists were part of the Sumud Nusantara within the broader Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF). The GSF was attacked by the Israeli forces on October 2 when it was on route to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza.
Hundreds of volunteers from over 40 countries were kidnapped by the Israeli forces during the attack in complete violation of international humanitarian law, which provides for the uninterrupted delivery of aid to war-affected people. Israel also committed a major violation by intercepting the boats and kidnapping crew members in international waters.
Israeli forces seized all the humanitarian aid on over 40 boats which were part of the GSF.
Israel has blocked the borders and prohibited any humanitarian aid from reaching the millions of Palestinians in Gaza facing its genocidal war since October 7, 2023. The UN has reported dozens of deaths from starvation in the besieged territories due to the lack of adequate food and other basic amenities.
Subjected to Israeli torture and humiliation
Since their release and deportation, many of the participants in the GSF have reported facing torture and humiliation at the hands of Israeli security officials. They were held for several days in Israel’s prison in the Negev desert which is notorious for the inhuman treatment of thousands of Palestinian prisoners there.
Adalah, which is providing legal assistance to the GSF activists, has claimed that the choice of the prison for activists was part of Israel’s intimidation attempts against them.
Read more: Humiliation and abuse: Flotilla activists speak out about treatment in Israeli prison, reiterate demand to end genocide
Israel cannot escape accountability for its crimes
The lawyer of the Malaysian delegation, Fahmi Abd Moin, declared that once in Malaysia, all the information about the abuses and torture faced by the Sumud participants from the country will be gathered and sent to the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) in a report.
The report will be submitted to ensure that Israel be held accountable for its crimes and violations of humanitarian laws.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Nadir al-Nuri, one of the volunteers at GSF from Malaysia, announced that the volunteers will join a protest against the Israeli genocide in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. The protest will also mark the second anniversary of the beginning of the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
No business as usual with genocide enablers
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM) issued a statement on Saturday demanding its government take stronger action to support Palestine and aid the volunteers abducted by Israel.
“Although the role played by the Malaysian government in the Hague group, which put forward important steps to stop the genocide in Gaza, should be appreciated and supported,” it “should act more firmly against the main supporter of the Zionist regime of Israel, namely the US government,” PSM demanded.
PSM reiterated its demand that the Malaysian government rescind its invitation to president Donald Trump to visit the country to attend the upcoming ASEAN summit later this month.
The PSM claimed that there should be no “business as usual with the US government until the Gaza genocide is ended.”
The post Malaysian flotilla participants vow to continue struggle against Israeli genocide appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.
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