May 22, 2026
JAKARTA – More Indonesians have been confirmed of being detained by Israeli authorities following the interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international open waters, prompting the government to pursue talks with partnering countries and through other diplomatic channels to secure their release.
On Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry confirmed the number of Indonesian aid volunteers and journalists arrested by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has risen to nine. They were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international civilian convoy seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.
While saying that limited communication avenues had hampered authorities from receiving updates on the detainees, Foreign Minister Sugiono assured that the government would utilize all of its diplomatic channels to ensure the safety of the detained Indonesian citizens.
“We have communicated with our counterparts with direct links to Israel, such as those in Jordan and Turkey, to ensure that our citizens are treated fairly, and later can be processed quickly so they can return home immediately,” Sugiono said on Wednesday.
The minister added the government would also turn to the Board of Peace to push for the release of the detainees, but stopping short of explaining the details of the plan.
Indonesia has no formal ties with Israel, but the country joined earlier this year the United States-led Board of Peace grouping, one of which focuses on the post-war reconstruction of Palestinian territory of Gaza. The board includes Israel as one of its members.
The government also renewed calls for Israel to immediately release all vessels and people involved in the flotilla. The Foreign Ministry previously issued a joint statement with foreign ministers of several countries, including Turkey, Jordan and Spain, to denounce Israel’s detaining of people in the mission and urge the international community to take concrete steps to end impunity of such actions.
Organizers of the humanitarian mission said the 54-vessel convoy involved 426 participants from 39 countries.
Among the nine Indonesians aboard the flotilla, and were later detained by Israel, were a journalists from Tempo TV and two others from the Republika daily newspaper.
Israeli forces intercepted 41 vessels on Tuesday. A day later, Tel Aviv announced that 430 activists aboard the flotilla had been detained and en route to Israel.
“All 430 activists have been transferred to Israeli vessels and are making their way to Israel, where they will be able to meet with their consular representatives,” a spokesman from the Israeli Foreign Ministry said late on Tuesday, as quoted by AFP.
The latest mission was the third attempt for the flotilla to reach Gaza after a previous attempt was also intercepted last month in international waters off Greece. In the previous mission, most activists were expelled to Europe, while two were brought to and detained for several days in Israel before being deported.
Turkey and Spain have condemned the interception against the latest flotilla, which included 15 Irish citizens including Margaret Connolly, sister of Ireland’s President Catherine Connolly.
The United Nations said on Tuesday it was very concerned about the safety of activists aboard the flotilla after Israel seized the convoy.
“They need to be protected, and they need to be kept safe,” said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric as quoted from a statement.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, human rights group Amnesty International Indonesia called the flotilla’s interception and arrest of its activists by the Israeli military a clear human rights violation.
The group executive director Usman Hamid also urged the government to showcase a “concrete” and “noncompromising” effort to release its arrested citizens, including a strong and persistent political pressure to stop Israel’s “arbitrarily blockade” in Gaza.
“Indonesia should not also legitimize Israel’s crimes by deepening covert cooperation through initiatives such as the Board of Peace,” Usman said.