GPCI Urges MPR to Press President to Take Swift Action to Free Indonesian Citizens Held by Israel

Global Peace Convoy Indonesia (GPCI) has urged the leadership of the MPR RI to relay a message to President Prabowo Subianto demanding that the government take swift action in response to the hostage-taking of humanitarian activists and journalists taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla 2.0 mission to Gaza. Ahmad Juwaini, a representative of GPCI, said there are nine Indonesian nationals among the humanitarian mission—five activists and four journalists—and he called for the message to be passed to the President, asking the government to task the relevant ministries, as well as Indonesia’s embassies and consulates-general abroad, with assisting in freeing the volunteers.

He explained that the delegation had originally departed from Barcelona, Spain, on 12 April 2026. However, as they entered Greek waters, Israeli forces intercepted the first wave of ships, and more than 170 people were detained. ‘Around two to three days were released. Two people were released after nearly 12 days in detention,’ he said.

The mission subsequently continued from Marmaris, Turkey, with a new Indonesian delegation joining. According to Ahmad, on Monday afternoon around 15:00 WIB, the ships were intercepted again by Israeli forces. ‘As of this morning, in the Global Sumud Flotilla records provided to us, about 40 ships have been detained and 332 humanitarian activists and journalists from various countries have been abducted and are currently in captivity,’ he said.

Ahmad urged the government to move quickly because the condition of the volunteers and journalists heavily depends on the duration of their detention. ‘In detention and captivity, time matters. The longer they are detained, the more it will affect our colleagues’ welfare,’ he added.