Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono on Sunday (May 24) considered the actions against the volunteers and humanitarian activists constitute a breach of international law.
“This is a violation of international law because civilians are providing humanitarian aid to Palestine,” he explained.
According to Sugiono, actions that undermine human dignity, must cease immediately and should never be repeated.
He also emphasized that the mission carried out by the GSF volunteers was a humanitarian activity to help Palestinians in Gaza and was not an illegal act.
On Sunday, the Indonesian government successfully repatriated nine Indonesian citizens participants in the GSF 2.0 voyage who had been detained by Israeli authorities.
Sugiono said the successful repatriation was made possible through the support of various parties, including the governments of friendly nations, especially the Turkish government.
“We express our appreciation to all participants in this humanitarian mission,” he noted.
Nine Indonesian citizens participating in the GSF 2.0 cruise arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten, on Sunday afternoon, after undergoing the repatriation process from Israel.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with Indonesian representatives, carried out the evacuation as a form of protection for Indonesian citizens.
The Indonesian citizens were flown on Emirates Airlines from Istanbul to Dubai on Saturday (May 23) at 7:35 p.m. local time.
They then continued their flight from Dubai to Jakarta on Sunday (May 24) at 4:10 a.m., arriving in Indonesia at 3:30 p.m.
Earlier, the ministry reported that the GSF 2.0 humanitarian mission ships carrying nine Indonesian citizens were intercepted by the Israeli military near Cypriot waters in the Eastern Mediterranean on May 18 and May 19, 2026.
The Indonesian citizens were subsequently detained in the city of Ashdod, Israel.
One of the Indonesian volunteers, Ronggo, recounted his experience during the interception and detention by Israeli forces.
He explained that the humanitarian volunteers from various countries were forcibly transferred to a military vessel and then detained.
He added that the volunteers detained by Israeli forces were subjected to aggressive and violent treatment.
“We were beaten and kicked on the military vessel. Then we were transferred to Ashdod Port for immigration clearance, where we were beaten again,” he said.
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Translator: Azmi Syamsul M, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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