Nine Indonesian Citizens in the Gaza Mission were Arrested by Israel, Members of the DPR Urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Open a 'Back Channel' English: Nine Indonesian Citizens in the Gaza Mission were Arrested by Israel, Members of the DPR Urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Open a 'Back Channel'

JAKARTA - The Israeli military reportedly intercepted a convoy of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) 2.0 humanitarian mission ship in the waters of Cyprus, the Mediterranean Sea. In the incident, nine Indonesian citizens (WNI) consisting of journalists and humanitarian activists were reportedly arrested and detained by Zionist forces.

Responding to this emergency situation, Member of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives TB Hasanuddin urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) to move tactically to save Indonesian citizens. Hasanuddin asked the government to immediately activate the secret diplomatic channel (back channel) in addition to optimizing the available multilateral instruments.

"The government must move quickly through bilateral and multilateral diplomatic channels. Indonesia needs to rally support in the UN Security Council, as well as ask the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to intervene directly to ensure the conditions of Indonesian citizens," said TB Hasanuddin in Jakarta, Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

The retired TNI General strongly condemned the piracy by the Israeli Navy in the international waters. According to him, the interception of a civilian ship carrying humanitarian logistics assistance and media crew was a serious violation of the principle of international freedom of navigation, as well as violating International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Convention.

"The arrest of humanitarian volunteers and civilian journalists in international waters cannot be justified. This is not only about the safety of Indonesian citizens, but also about respect for international law and protection of humanitarian missions," said the senior legislator.

Hasanuddin reminded that protection of Indonesian blood spilled abroad, including humanitarian volunteers, is a constitutional mandate that must be carried out aggressively by the state.

Before officially rolling to the parliamentary table, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself had released an official statement condemning the kidnapping and forced abduction by the Israeli military of the international humanitarian mission.

"The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the actions of the Israeli military, which has intercepted a number of ships that are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) 2.0 international humanitarian mission convoy," said Indonesian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang.

Based on the Foreign Ministry's data, the incident of forcibly arresting the humanitarian aid convoy to the Gaza Strip occurred in the waters of Cyprus, east of the Mediterranean Sea on Monday local time.