10 October 2025 | Petaling Jaya

Reports on the release of our nine Malaysian humanitarian activists are a profound relief, but it is not an absolution of crimes.

Their detention is part of the most recent act in a systematic campaign of brutal aggression by Israeli forces in international waters, which stands among the most egregious violations ofmaritime law.

This escalating brutality saw the illegal interception of humanitarian ships, including the cargo ship Annie in June, a deliberate act to block over 5,000 tons of life-saving aid. It continued in July with the violent seizure of the lead ship, Handala, which had departed from Syracuse, Italy, on July 2025, carrying a diverse group of activists, medics, lawyers, journalists, and humanitarian supplies.

This crime leaves no doubt: we are witnessing a regime that operates with utter impunity, defying international courts, violating maritime law, and collectively punishing a civilian population.

This assault was carried out in direct defiance of the highest legal bodies in the world. It occurred after both the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its preliminary rulings on the plausibility of genocidal acts in Gaza and the UN published findings detailing the same.

To attack a humanitarian flotilla in this context is to spit in the face of international law and the institutions designed to uphold it; violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the principle of freedom of navigation, targeting unarmed civilian ships on a documented humanitarian mission.This act of piracy is intrinsically linked to the ongoing, illegal siege.

 As Amnesty International and other human rights bodies have documented, Israel is deliberately blocking adequate humanitarian aid, using starvation as a weapon of war. The Flotilla's mission was a direct challenge to this blockade—a blockade the ICJ has ordered must be lifted to allow aid to reach a population facing famine. Preventing this aid is not just a policy; it is a continued violation of a legally binding order from the ICJ.

The regime’s contempt for peace and international law was further demonstrated just hours after the latest ceasefire announcement, when it breached the agreement, murdering dozens of Palestinians in broad daylight. Reports confirm that over 50 Palestinians were killed in these attacks, a stark reminder that ceasefires are unsustainable without ending the underlying siege and occupation. This cycle of violence is not a failure of policy; it is the policy.

In this context, we honour the unwavering courage of our released delegates: Prof. Emeritus Dr. Mohd Alauddin Mohd Ali, Dr. Fauziah Hassan, Dr. Hafiz Sulaiman, Dr. Ili Syakira Mohd Suhaimi, Prof. Dr. Afandi Salleh, and their colleagues. Their resolve, coordinated with Humanitarian Care Malaysia (MyCARE), stands as a testament to their bravery.

We commend the diplomatic efforts that secured their release. However, the world’s focus must now turn from individual detentions to the systemic crimes. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, manufactured and sustained by the Israeli regime, demands more than fleeting aid corridors; it demands the end of the siege.

The courage of the Flotilla volunteers has once again shone a light on the darkness of this conflict. We will not be silenced. We demand accountability for these transgressions, an end to the genocidal siege, the freedom of all incarcerated Palestinians, including children, and justice for Palestine.

NURUL IZZAH ANWAR

Deputy President

People’s Justice Party (KEADILAN)