Foreign Ministry Still Cannot Confirm Condition of Indonesian Nationals Taken Hostage by Israel

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet been able to confirm the current condition of nine Indonesian nationals who were taken hostage by the Israeli army while serving as volunteers with the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) 2.2.

The statement came after circulating video footage showing alleged abuse by the Israeli military of the volunteers who were captured.

Director of WNI Protection at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heni Hamidah, said the latest information the ministry has obtained is limited to the existence of the volunteers. ‘The last information we received is that they were taken to Ashdod Port,’ Heni said in Jakarta on Thursday, 21 May 2026.

Ashdod Port is one of Israel’s three major international ports, located about 40 kilometres south of Tel Aviv.

According to Heni, typically the hostage volunteers are brought to this port for processing. After that, they are taken to Chatzy Immigration Detention if the screening stage has been completed.

However, Heni said the government still cannot confirm details of the volunteers’ location and condition, including the possibility of abuse by the Israeli military as recorded in the circulating video.

‘The Foreign Ministry is continuing to verify the positions, conditions, and communications access for the Indonesian nationals,’ she said.

Earlier, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir uploaded a video recording showing Israeli soldiers torturing the GSF volunteers who were captured. The recording was posted on X on Wednesday, 20 May 2026.

In the video, several volunteers captured by Israeli troops are seen. One woman is heard shouting ‘free Palestine’ before her head is pulled back and forced to bow into a prostration-like position. The video also shows Ben-Gvir walking around overseeing the captured volunteers.