Middle East and Africa
People carry placards on May 19, 2026, during a protest in solidarity with Indonesian nationals who were arrested aboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters, in Bandung, West Java. (Reuters/Claudio Pramana)
Indonesia confirmed on Thursday the release of its nine citizens from illegal custody after joining a chorus of international pressure over Israel’s “inhumane treatment” of activists taken from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.“The government reiterates its condemnation of the inhumane treatment endured by these volunteers during their detention,” Foreign Minister Sugiono said in a video statement released on Thursday night.
“Such degrading treatment of civilians engaged in a humanitarian mission constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law that cannot be tolerated,” he added.
International outrage over Israel’s detention of hundreds of activists from countries across the world on board the Global Sumud Flotilla reached its peak this week after Tel Aviv’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Wednesday posted a video showing the treatment of detainees, a day before authorities moved to deport them.
