Moments When a Tempo Journalist Went Missing During the GSF Mission
Tempo journalist Andre Prasetyo Nugroho went missing after losing contact in waters near Gaza, where the humanitarian vessel Ozgurluk, carrying aid as part of the Global Freedom Flotilla 2026, was intercepted by the Israeli military on Monday, 18 April 2026. The Ozgurluk is part of a convoy bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza to break its blockade.
The last communication was recorded on Sunday night around 22:42 WIB, with Andre reporting that his position was entering the red zone. “Last night he sent his coordinates, but I cannot calculate how far he was from his destination on the Gaza Front,” producer Dheayu Jihan told Tempo on Monday, 18 May 2026. The phone number remained active until about 14:00 WIB Monday. The editors in Jakarta attempted to send text messages to monitor his condition. The message was delivered with a double-check mark but received no response. The next message, sent at 14:30 WIB, showed only a single check.
According to Jihan, there has been no information about Andre’s whereabouts since then until the Tempo newsroom was informed by Global Peace Convoy Indonesia (GPCI) at 21:15 WIB. “GPCI reported that the vessel carrying Andre was intercepted by the Israeli military along with 24 other ships in the convoy when they were about 250 nautical miles from Gaza,” she said.
Further, Jihan explained that Andre’s assignment to cover the Gaza humanitarian mission began on 29 April 2026. He first flew from Jakarta to Istanbul, Turkey. From Istanbul, he then undertook a 12-hour overland journey to the port of Marmaris. At the port, departure of the vessel was delayed several times due to security concerns and the strict screening of volunteers.
During the process, Andre initially faced the risk of not being included on the list of volunteers who would sail to Gaza. However, after lengthy negotiations, he managed to secure a seat to sail aboard the Ozgurluk. He sailed on the vessel with two Indonesian journalists from Republika and Inews, Thoudy Badai Rifan Billah and Rahendro herubowo. The ship was reported to have begun sailing on Thursday, 12 May 2026, in the local afternoon.
On the sixth day of the voyage, Jihan said, tensions aboard rose as they approached the red zone of Gaza’s waters. On Saturday, 16 May 2026, two nights before the interception incident, Andre informed the Tempo team in Jakarta that the ship had entered an emergency interception protocol intended to anticipate a potential assault.
Global Peace Convoy Indonesia (GPCI) coordinator Maimon Herawati said a total of 450 volunteers were involved in the humanitarian mission. Of these, nine were Indonesian citizens from various humanitarian groups including Dompet Dhuafa, Rumah Zakat, Spirit of Aqsa, SMART 171, and journalists from Republika, Inews, and Tempo.
The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli military’s interception of the international humanitarian mission Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) and urged Israel to immediately release all ships and crew detained. “We will continue to maintain communication with relevant parties to obtain the latest information on the condition of the Indonesian nationals, while preparing contingency measures, including facilitation of protection and acceleration of repatriation if necessary,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang told Tempo on Monday evening, 18 May 2026.