Foreign Ministry Responds to Use of 'Kidnapping' Term in Hostage-Taking of Indonesian Nationals
Foreign Ministry responds to controversy over Foreign Minister Sugiono’s statement that the hostage-taking of humanitarian volunteers Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) 2.2 by the Israeli military cannot be described as kidnapping. Sugiono’s remarks drew criticism because they were made amid efforts to secure the release of nine Indonesian nationals detained by Israel.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang said they understood public concern about the importance of using precise terminology, including which term is correct—‘kidnapping’ or ‘hostage-taking’—in this incident.
‘We understand that, but we need to emphasise that the government’s focus at the moment is to ensure the safety of our colleagues there,’ she said during a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday, 21 May 2026.
Yvonne did not explicitly explain the difference in terms from the Foreign Ministry’s viewpoint, as Sugiono described. She only stressed that the government condemns the detention of Gaza humanitarian volunteers.
‘If the question is whether the ministry is endorsing their arrest, then of course the Indonesian government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, clearly condemns this incident,’ she said.
Sugiono previously assessed that the Israeli army’s action in detaining the flotilla in the waters off Cyprus, in the Mediterranean Sea, was not kidnapping. According to Sugiono, the Israeli military intercepted the fleet carrying 450 volunteers because the group intended to break through the blockade of Gaza, which Israel had prohibited from the outset.
Therefore, what was done cannot be described as kidnapping. ‘This is not a case of kidnapping or hostage-taking at this time. This is a case of a ship carrying humanitarian aid that was intercepted because they (Israel) prohibited entry,’ Sugiono said at the DPR Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday. ‘Israel prohibits any ships entering that area for any purpose.’
Sugiono’s assessment was based on a similar incident on 1 October 2025 when Israel detained the Global Sumud Flotilla 1.0 humanitarian volunteers in the Mediterranean Sea. At that time, the volunteers were questioned by Israeli soldiers and later deported to their home countries.
The Secretary-General of the Gerindra Party could not confirm how long the process would take for Israel to release the detainees. He claimed the Foreign Ministry had sought assistance from Jordan, Turkey and Egypt to monitor the conditions of Indonesian nationals held by Israel.
‘(The release) depends on the numbers; if I’m not mistaken, this time the number is quite large; I do not know in person because communication is limited, so we asked for coordination with our colleagues,’ he said.