Seven Indonesian nationals taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla confirmed kidnapped by Israeli forces; two still at sea

Seven Indonesian nationals taking part in the Global Sumud Armada have been confirmed kidnapped by Israeli forces (IDF). This followed the hijacking of the Zefiro ship, carrying volunteers from Dompet Dhuafa, on Tuesday night, 19 May 2026 local time.

The Global Sumud Flotilla humanitarian fleet coalition stated that the ships Andros, Zefiro, and Don Juan were intercepted by Israeli forces after continuing to sail toward Gaza for more than 24 hours.

The Zefiro was accompanied by Herman Budianto Sudarsono from Dompet Dhuafa. He was joined by Ronggo Wirasanu, also from Dompet Dhuafa on the vessel.

On Monday night, Herman managed to hold a press conference via Zoom at the Dompet Dhuafa philanthropic building. “Alhamdulillah we have been on standby since last night to monitor the progression of the ships; there are drones, yes. Alhamdulillah last night there were none; there were only drones, and then in the morning there appeared vessels, two warships from the IDF,” said Herman.

According to Herman, the ships’ experienced crew managed to manoeuvre so that their vessel avoided the targeting. He said all mission participants remain vigilant against potential further threats.

“Alhamdulillah our team’s captain and crew—our colleagues, incredibly experienced—they could maneuver to avoid, to stay clear of the pursuit by the IDF,” he said.

Referring to the Global Sumud Flotilla report, as of Tuesday night, unconfirmed as having been intercepted by Israel were the ships Alcyone, Cabo Blanco, Elengi, Girolama, and Kasr-i-Sadabad, accompanied by Hendro Prasetyo from SMART 171 and Asad Aras Muhammad from Spirit of Aqsa.

Israeli forces have intercepted one of the remaining vessels of the Global Sumud Armada, stopping it when the ship was about 82 nautical miles (around 150 km) from Gaza, according to trackers on the fleet’s website.