SEPANG — Five Malaysians and one Bruneian who were previously involved in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) humanitarian mission returned home yesterday.

Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) director-general Datuk Dr Sani Araby Abdul Alim Araby said all of them will begin volunteer duties at SNCC tonight.

“The total number is eight, including one Bruneian activist. Two of the eight are already in Amman, Jordan, to assist with our legal matters.

“The other five will join SNCC together with another Bruneian,” he said at a press conference on GSF developments here today.

It was understood that they had health issues and were flown from Athens, Greece, to Malaysia.

They are Tuan Mohamad Asri Tuan Hussein, Abdul Rahim Azhari, Muhammad Khairin Afiq Mohd Subkhi, Ahmad Safuan Ujar, Nur Ilham Fansuri Zainal Rashid and Bruneian national Rezahmaisalamah Md Yusof.

The GSF mission, which involved over 500 activists from 44 countries including Malaysia, set sail for Gaza as a symbol of solidarity and an effort to break the Israeli blockade by delivering essential supplies for Palestinians affected by the Zionist regime’s ongoing attacks.

The Foreign Ministry had earlier confirmed that all 23 Malaysians who joined GSF had been detained by Israel and would be repatriated through a third country.

Asked about the situation concerning the families of detained activists, he said the family members had been placed in a hotel to ensure they received verified and up-to-date information.

“… because we felt it was important for them to get the information earlier. So before coming here (to SNCC), I went there (hotel) first to brief the families.

“This is because some of them have already been affected by reading various kinds of news. Some reports are accurate, but there are also premature posts that leave them questioning,” he said.