Two Republika Journalists Abducted by Israel Arrive in Turkey
ISTANBUL — Republika journalists Bambang Noroyono and Thoudy Storm were seen disembarking from a plane carrying them from Israel in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday, 21 May 2026 local time (WIB). They arrived with hundreds of Global Sumud Flotilla participants evacuated after being detained by Israeli occupation forces.
The pair were seen getting off the plane in a live broadcast on the X account of the Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency.
“Thank God,” said Hanifa Humanisa, the mother of Thoudy Storm, when she heard of the sighting. “Thank God he looks healthy,” said Denisa, wife of Bambang Noroyono.
The Global Sumud Flotilla Committee (GSF) said earlier that all flights carrying the humanitarian mission’s participants had arrived safely in Istanbul, Turkey. The planes arrived in the afternoon local time.
“We are relieved to announce that flights TK6925, TK6921 and TK6919 have landed in Istanbul,” said the communication team of the families and relatives of the GSF participants.
They mentioned that the current escort team continues to monitor the arrival process of the participants and ensure continued support for them after arriving in Turkey.
Earlier, three Turkish Airlines flights carrying participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla were reported to have left occupied Palestine on Thursday (21/5/2026) at 3:30 p.m. All three planes are currently en route to Istanbul Airport, Turkey.
In the official update provided by the Family and Friends Communication Team of GSF participants, the flights in question were numbered TK6925, TK6921, and TK6919, respectively.
The departure is part of the deportation process of a number of humanitarian flotilla participants who were previously detained by Israeli authorities after a solidarity mission to Gaza was forcibly halted. Until now, families and accompanying teams continue to monitor the condition of the participants during the repatriation process.
The Turkish government sent a chartered flight to Israel to repatriate kidnapped Global Sumud activists, after Israel’s Minister of National Security sparked international outrage. Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, stated that they would bring Turkish nationals and participants from third countries to Turkey, with media reports mentioning 78 Turkish nationals among the detainees.