Last Messages from Republika Journalists Before They Were Kidnapped by Israeli Forces

An SOS video was sent. Subsequently, two Republika journalists, Bambang Noroyono and Thoudy Badai, lost contact as the humanitarian mission vessel Global Sumud Flotilla was intercepted by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in international waters.

The Republika newsroom revealed that the last communications with the two journalists occurred only moments before the Israeli troops approached their vessel.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief Stevy Maradona said the last communication with Thoudy occurred on Monday (18 May) at 13:50 WIB via WhatsApp. At the time, Thoudy was still briefing on the latest situation from aboard the vessel en route to its humanitarian mission objective.

‘The last communication with Thoudy was at 13:50 WIB; he was giving updates on the latest situation onboard, as the vessel remained underway, also sending photos and videos. He even said that if they were to be intercepted by the IDF, it would be on Monday night local time,’ Stevy said when contacted on Monday (18 May 2026), reported by detikNews.

Shortly after the conversation, contact was lost. Thoudy could no longer be reached and could not be contacted.

‘After this conversation, contact was lost. Thoudy could not be reached at all. He did not contact the editorial staff again. It has been more than six hours since then,’ he said.

Stevy explained that Bambang and Thoudy were on different vessels. The ship Thoudy was on also carried two other Indonesian nationals, including a Tempo journalist.

Meanwhile, the last contact with Bambang occurred at 15:20 WIB when he sent an SOS video. Before sending the video, Bambang had sent photos and videos of a warship approaching his vessel.

‘So the communication with Bambang Noroyono — they are on different ships, right? The Thoudy vessel carries three Indonesians, including a Tempo journalist. From the Abeng vessel, the last communication was when he sent the SOS video at 15:20 WIB,’ he said.

‘A few minutes before sending the SOS video, Abeng sent photos and videos showing a warship approaching his boat. Only after that did he send the SOS video; that is the protocol from the Global Sumud Flotilla central committee. If Israeli soldiers approach the vessel, they board the ship and immediately send the SOS video, he added.’

As of Monday night, the two journalists remained unreachable.

‘As of 22:00 WIB tonight, both journalists could not be reached and were not contacting the Republika editorial office,’ he added.

Republika condemns the arrest

Republika strongly condemns the Israeli army’s actions in detaining Bambang Noroyono and Thoudy Badai while they were carrying out journalistic and humanitarian duties on the international humanitarian mission.

‘There were nine Indonesian volunteers in the group, including two Republika journalists Bambang Noroyono and Thoudy Badai who were carrying out journalistic and humanitarian duties. Their safety is a serious concern for us,’ said Republika Editor-in-Chief Andi Muhyiddin in a statement on Monday (18 May).

Republika regards the Israeli action as a serious breach of international law.

Foreign Ministry Urges Israel to Release Indonesian Citizens

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry (Kemlu) also condemned Israel’s interception of ships and detention of activists in the Global Sumud Flotilla humanitarian mission.

‘The Foreign Ministry strongly condemns the actions of the Israeli military who intercepted several ships part of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) 2.0 around the waters of Cyprus, Eastern Mediterranean,’ said Kemlu spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang in a statement, Monday (18 May).

Kemlu said it continues to monitor the condition of the Indonesian nationals on the mission. Indonesia’s government also urged Israel to immediately release all crew and ensure humanitarian aid continues to reach Palestinians.

‘The Indonesian Foreign Ministry calls on Israel to promptly release all ships and crew detained from the international humanitarian mission, and to guarantee the continuation of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in accordance with international humanitarian law,’ she added.