Government Condemns the Detention of Indonesian Journalists by Israel

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia's Minister of Communication and Digital, Meutya Hafid, firmly condemned the Israeli military's actions of intercepting and detaining the international humanitarian mission group Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) 2.0 in the Eastern Mediterranean waters en route to Gaza.

In the group, there are three Indonesian journalists on duty covering the event, namely Bambang Noroyono and Thoudy Badai from Republika, and Andre Prasetyo Nugroho from Tempo.

"We are following with great concern the news regarding Indonesian journalists who are currently on a reporting mission for humanitarian efforts heading to Gaza." In the midst of the conflict situation, the safety of Indonesian citizens, including members of the press, must always be our collective concern," Meutya Hafid said in Jakarta, Monday, May 18, 2026.

The Minister reminded that journalistic work in humanitarian crisis situations is protected by international law to bring factual voices to the world public, so the Israeli military must provide safe space for journalists.

Based on data from the Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at least 10 humanitarian mission ships have been detained by the Israeli military, including the Amanda, Barbaros, Josef, and Blue Toys ships. Until now, the ship carrying the Indonesian journalists is still out of contact, and the status of all the crew on board is not yet known for certain.

The Minister of Education and Culture stated that the Ministry of Education and Culture continues to coordinate intensively with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to monitor the situation on the ground and fully support all rescue efforts.

"The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology will continue to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant parties to monitor developments and support protective measures for Indonesian citizens in the mission," Meutya said.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that it has instructed three Indonesian Embassies (KBRI), namely KBRI Ankara, KBRI Cairo, and KBRI Amman, to act swiftly in preparing tactical protection measures and accelerating the evacuation of all Indonesian citizens if necessary.