KUALA LUMPUR – The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) mission to Gaza has been forced into an unscheduled halt after several boats and their captains withdrew from the convoy, triggering a major reshuffle among participants.
Tuan Asri Tuan Hussein, media director of Muslim Care Malaysia and a volunteer on the mission, said the flotilla had reached southern Greek waters at noon local time (Mediterranean Sea) yesterday, with nearly 30 boats.
“According to our plans, we were supposed to sail straight through and not stop in Greece, but there was a specific reason yesterday. A number of captains and their assistants withdrew, which meant a reshuffle had to be made,” he told Bernama.
The withdrawals have left organisers reassigning passengers and finding new captains for several vessels, including the one carrying Tuan Asri.
He added that a family boat in the flotilla had also been declared beyond repair, forcing its occupants to remain docked until alternative arrangements can be made.
“As long as it is not resolved, we will not move,” he said. “The occupants of that family boat may also have to be transferred because the boat cannot move. We have not received an update on whether they have found a replacement boat.”
The GSF convoy, carrying food, medicine, and a symbolic message of peace, is expected to reach Gaza waters at the end of the month.
The mission has drawn international participation from Europe, Asia, South Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Malaysia has sent 34 volunteers under the banner of Sumud Nusantara, led by Cinta Gaza Malaysia chief executive officer Muhammad Nadir Al-Nuri Kamaruzaman.
The group is currently in international waters near Greece and is expected to enter the so-called “yellow zone” en route to Gaza in the coming days. — September 26, 2025