Two Indonesian Nationals Captured Again by Israeli Forces: Dompet Dhuafa Volunteers
Two Indonesian citizens were again abducted by Israeli soldiers while carrying out the Global Sumud Flotilla 2026 mission. They are Dompet Dhuafa volunteers, namely Herman Budianto Sudarsono and Ronggo Wirasanu, who were aboard the Zapyro.
Coordinator of Media for Global Peace Convoy Indonesia (GPCI), Harfin Naqsyabandy, said they witnessed Herman and Ronggo being intercepted by Israeli forces directly. They watched the footage via live streaming from the official Global Sumud Flotilla account.
“And we watched directly the Zapyro ship carrying Mr Herman Budianto Sudarsono, Indonesian delegation volunteer from GPCI, and Mr Ronggo Wirasano. Earlier we saw that their ship had been intercepted by Zionists,” Harfin said at a press conference at the Dompet Dhuafa office, South Jakarta, Tuesday (19 May 2026).
Harfin noted that, to date, seven Indonesians have been abducted by the Israeli army. The others are activist Andi Angga on the Josef ship, Republika journalist Bambang Noroyono on the Bolarize, and on another vessel, Ozgurluk, three Indonesians including Tempo TV journalist Andre Prasetyo, Republika journalist Thoudy Badai, and iNews journalist Heru Rahendro.
“That means, up to tonight there have been seven Indonesians abducted by Zionists,” Harfin explained.
Previously, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) confirmed that two Indonesians were again captured by the Israeli army. Now, a total of seven Indonesians taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla are detained by Israel.
“According to the latest information (19.50 Western Indonesian Time), the number of Indonesians detained by Israel has increased,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vahd Nabyl Achmad Mulachela to reporters, on Tuesday (19 May 2026).
Vahd noted that there are nine Indonesians involved in the humanitarian mission to Gaza. Seven of them are detained by Israel, and the other two are aboard the Kasr 1 Sadabat.
“From a total of nine Indonesian members of Global Peace Convoy Indonesia (GPCI) participating in the GSF 2.0 mission, seven are now reported as captured. Meanwhile, the other two are known to remain aboard the Kasr 1 Sadabat,” he said.
Herman and Ronggo Were Chased by Israeli Rescue Boats
GPCI volunteer Herman Budiyanto described the tense atmosphere during the international humanitarian mission Global Sumud Flotilla 2026. He observed how Zionist Israeli warships chased the volunteer ships to prevent them from reaching Gaza, Palestine.
Herman recounted this to reporters via video conference, Monday (18 May 2026), at the moment he and his colleagues were still sailing in the Mediterranean Sea. He said he had seen several drones monitoring the convoy the night before the news of the intercept.
“Then in the morning there appeared two warships from the IDF. These ships deployed lifeboats that moved to approach and chase our ships,” Herman said via video conference, Monday (18 May 2026).
Herman was sailing on the Zapyro with his colleague Ronggo Wirasanu. Fortunately, the vessel they were on managed to escape the pursuit by Israeli Zionist forces.
“They could maneuver, doing evasive manoeuvres, far away from the pursuit by the IDF, and of course this was also thanks to God’s help and the prayers from all Indonesian citizens wherever they are,” he explained.
Herman said the escape from the Israeli soldiers involved fleeing and spreading out in various directions. They would then regroup at a pre-arranged point.
“We also could not be seen by the ships. Yes, because we spread out; from the other ships the strategy was to disperse widely, and later we would return to the point we were heading to,” he said.
“So if we said the Gaza direction earlier was straight, we are now turning to the right. That is the situation we are experiencing,” he added.