Seven of the nine Indonesian nationals who joined the Global Peace\nConvoy Indonesia (GPCI) on the Global Sumud Flotilla 2026 to Gaza,\nPalestine, have been abducted by the Israeli military in international\nwaters on Monday morning, 18 May. In that incident, the Israeli military\ndetained hundreds of volunteers including five Indonesian nationals who\nhad sailed to breach the blockade.<\/p>\n
Initially, five Indonesians were confirmed detained by the IDF:\nRepublika journalist Bambang Noroyono and Thoudy Badai; Tempo TV\njournalist Andre Prasetyo Nugroho; iNews journalist Rahendro Herubowo;\nand Rumah Zakat activist Andi Angga Prasadewa.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, 19 May, it was confirmed that two more Indonesians had\nalso been abducted by Zionist forces. This was confirmed by the Foreign\nMinistry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang.<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on the latest information at 19:50 WIB, the number of\nIndonesians detained by Israel has increased,\u201d Yvonne told CNN\nIndonesia. \u201cFrom a total of nine Indonesian nationals who were part of\nGlobal Peace Convoy Indonesia (GPCI) aboard the mission GSF 2.0, seven\nare now reported to have been captured,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government says it is having difficulty tracing the\nwhereabouts of Indonesians abducted by the Israeli army. The hurdle\narises because Indonesia does not have formal diplomatic relations with\nIsrael.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigrations, and\nPublic Security (Menko Kumham Imipas) Yusril Ihza Mahendra revealed that\nthe government remains unable to establish direct contact with the\ndetained Indonesians. Nevertheless, the Foreign Ministry (Kemlu)\ncontinues to actively pursue steps to secure their release.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs of today we understand that it is still difficult to contact the\ntwo [of nine] people, but the Foreign Ministry has also taken proactive\nsteps to locate them and secure their release,\u201d Yusril told reporters at\nSurabaya State University (Unesa) on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Yusril emphasised that the lack of diplomatic relations between\nIndonesia and Israel makes direct negotiations impossible. This is the\nbiggest challenge for the government to handle quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd this is certainly not easy because we do not have diplomatic\nrelations with Israel; we cannot negotiate directly with Israel,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
As a solution, he said the Indonesian government will maximise\ninternational diplomatic channels. He stated that they would involve\nthird countries and international bodies to provide legal protection and\nto rescue the Indonesians abducted by the Israeli army.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we will certainly take diplomatic and legal steps through third\ncountries and international bodies to protect our citizens abducted by\nthe Israeli army,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Head of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), General\n(ret) Dudung Abdurachman, said the Indonesian government has urged\nIsrael to immediately release all ships and crew of the international\nhumanitarian mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Indonesian government urges Israel to immediately release all\nships and crew members of the international humanitarian mission who\nhave been detained, and to ensure the continued delivery of humanitarian\naid to the Palestinian people in accordance with international\nhumanitarian law,\u201d Dudung told reporters at the KSP office in Jakarta on\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
Dudung said that the government, through the Foreign Ministry, has\ncoordinated with several Indonesian embassies in the region from Ankara\n(Turkey), Cairo (Egypt), Rome (Italy), to Amman (Jordan).<\/p>\n
He added that the government is also preparing precautionary steps,\nincluding issuing an SPLP (Surat Perjalanan Laksana Paspor) if the\nIndonesians\u2019 passports are seized, and providing medical support if\nnecessary.<\/p>\n
Additionally, he said, Indonesian representatives continue to liaise\nwith local authorities to ensure transit access and a smooth\nrepatriation process for the Indonesians, without immigration\nobstacles.<\/p>\n
The former Indonesian Army Chief of Staff noted that Indonesia has\njoined nine other countries \u2014 Turkey, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia,\nJordan, Libya, the Maldives, Pakistan, and Spain \u2014 in condemning the\nattack by Israel.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/latest-developments-in-the-abduction-of-seven-indonesian-nationals-by-israel-1779545949", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }