GSF volunteers reportedly freed, Foreign Ministry says they are still being questioned in Ashdod

Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has responded to reports that volunteers from the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) humanitarian mission have been released. Heni Hamidah, Director for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens (PWNI) at MoFA, said that, according to the latest information, the volunteers are currently in Ashdod undergoing processing before they would be transferred to immigration detention in Israel. ‘Yes, as we last received information, they were brought to Ashdod. And when would the stay in Ashdod end? In Ashdod there are examinations taking place. From there they will be sent to immigration detention in Israel,’ Hamidah said at MoFA, Jakarta, Thursday (21 May 2025). ‘That detention should not be imagined as a prison. So this is immigration detention. Immigration detention; from there we will see what the next process will be. So we have not yet received information about the next steps,’ she added. Meanwhile, the MOFA is also refining the repatriation scenario for the volunteers. Intensive coordination has been carried out with Indonesian embassies (KBRI) in several countries that could serve as evacuation or repatriation routes. Koordinator Media GPCI Harfin Naqsyabandy said that the volunteers previously detained at Ktziot Prison by Israeli authorities have been released from that facility. ‘The Adalah (local human rights organisation) legal team is continuing to monitor closely to ensure all activists, including Indonesian nationals, can leave safely without further delays,’ he said.