PMX grilled for “phone theatrics” after 10 Malaysian Sumud warriors fall into Israeli hands

 

DETRACTORS have subject Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to the firing line as he condemned the violence inflicted by the Zionist regime against the humanitarian mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) in international waters off Crete, the largest and most populous island of Greece.

Whether PMX was spot on that what Tel Aviv did to the Spring 2026 GSF mission carrying humanitarian aid en route to breaking the Israeli blockade on Gaza was a clear violation of maritime law akin to piracy, his Madani government has certainly failed to learn a lesson from a similar episode last year.

In fact, many critics have expressed reservation over safety of the participants when the more than 40-strong Malaysians who are part of the 80 vessels and 1,000 global volunteers in the latest batch of the GSF 2.0 mission took off from Barcelona to Gaza on April 12

“Malaysia urges all parties to act immediately and ensure that no harsh action is taken against all activists, including the 10 Malaysians who are currently detained and cut off from contact,” conveyed PMX in a Facebook post. “Their safety must be guaranteed without compromise.”

Now that the dreaded has happened, PMX was chided for putting up another “phone call theatrics” with Sumud Nusantara Control Centre (SNCC) director-general Datuk Dr Sani Araby to obtain the latest update regarding the arrest of the GSF activists.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry claimed that about 175 activists on board 22 boats were detained and dismissed the flotilla as a “PR stunt”.

As one would expect Muslims to support the GSF 2,0 cause, it is surprising that there were brickbats hurled by presumably opposition-slant commenters to news of 10 Malaysians “being kidnapped by Israel” on the FB page of Berita AlHijrah

As Madani backers prayed for the release of the Malaysian volunteers and their foreign counterparts, one commenter raised the pertinent question of why risk one’s own life entering a war zone especially after what has happened to the GSF 1.0 volunteers in October 2025.

In fact, many netizens claimed that many volunteers were taking advantage of the mission to earn fame and recognition by expecting to be hailed for their heroics upon returning home.

Meanwhile, the Sumud Nusantara Control Centre (SNCC) has confirmed that the vessel Tam Tam which is part of the GSF 2.0 mission was not intercepted but was damaged by the Israeli regime with all activists on board reported safe as of 7pm yesterday (April 30).

This brings the number of vessels intercepted to 21 when the flotilla was about 80 nautical miles from Greek waters, according to the centre’s DG Sani.

Another 30 vessels were not detained and continued their journey towards Greek waters.

“SNCC confirms that Thiago Avila and Saif Abukeshek, members of the GSF Steering Committee, were among those intercepted in what appears to be an act of intimidation aimed at disrupting the mission,” he updated in a statement on SNCC’s official Facebook page.

SNCC also said 175 activists were taken to Israel aboard Israeli vessels, including 10 Malaysians.

It added that Ahmad Faezal, a social media influencer and geopolitical analyst, withdrew from the mission in Sicily, Italy due to a high fever and has since returned safely to Malaysia. –  Focus Malaysia