Nine Indonesians Return Home After Detention by Israel During Global Sumud Flotilla 2.0

Nine Indonesian citizens detained by Israel in mid-May 2026 have returned home on Sunday, 24 May 2026. They were greeted by Foreign Minister Sugiono, Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia Abdalfatah A.K. Alsattari, Director General of Immigration Hendarsam Marantoko, and family members at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten. Initially, on Monday, 18 May 2026, a video surfaced showing two Republika journalists, Bambang Noroyono and Thoudy Badai, who were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) 2.0 humanitarian mission, being detained by Israeli forces. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) confirmed the news the same day. Kemenlu strongly condemned the Israeli military for detaining Republika journalists aboard the humanitarian flotilla. At that time, ten ships were confirmed seized by the Israeli military, including Amanda, Barbaros, Josef, and Blue Toys. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the Israeli military’s interception of several ships participating in the international humanitarian mission Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) 2.0 in the Eastern Mediterranean near Cyprus,” said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang in a press release on Monday, 18 May 2026. A day later, Yvonne stated that of the nine Indonesians on the Gaza humanitarian mission, five were detained by Israeli forces, while four others remained on two different ships. “Meanwhile, the four Indonesians on two separate ships were still sailing near Cyprus waters,” she said. According to sources from Global Peace Convoy Indonesia (GPCI), the nine Indonesians included Andi Angga Prasadewa from Rumah Zakat aboard the Josef ship, detained by Israel. Three others aboard the Ozgurluk ship were Thoudy Badai of Republika, Rahendro Herubowo of Inews, and Andre Prasetyo Nugroho of TV Tempo. Additionally, Republika journalist Bambang Noroyono, also known as Abeng, was aboard the BoraLize ship. Meanwhile, four Indonesians who remained safe were Hendro, As’ad, Herman, and Ronggo. They continued their journey on the Karsi, Sadabat, and Zefiro ships. On the same day, Kemenlu reported that by Tuesday evening, the number of Indonesians detained by Israel had risen to seven. Two others were still sailing on ships Kasr 1 and Sadabat. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Vahd Nabyl Mulachela stated the situation on the ground remained highly dynamic. He said the two Indonesians still at sea were in a precarious situation and could face interception or arrest by Israeli forces at any time. On Wednesday, 20 May 2026, Kemenlu reported all nine Indonesians involved in the humanitarian mission had been detained by Israel. Separately, Global Peace Convoy Indonesia stated the nine Indonesians had sent emergency SOS messages in the form of video statements confirming their detention.