Jakarta. Indonesia has called out Israel for its recent seizure of a Gaza-bound aid ship.

The Israeli military recently intercepted Madleen, a British-flagged vessel that was trying to break Israel’s sea blockade and deliver aid to Gazans. The twelve activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, who were on board, got detained. Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono took to social media to criticize the seizure.

“I strongly condemn Israel’s interception of the Madleen vessel in international waters while it was delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. This is yet another blatant violation of international law and a cruel blow to those suffering in Gaza,” Sugiono wrote on the social media platform X on Tuesday early morning.

“Israel’s blockade -- restricting both land and maritime aid -- is a form of collective punishment and contributes to the growing risk of mass starvation,” the politician said.

International laws, including world court orders, have called for Israel to make sure that aid could come to Gaza unimpeded and protect humanitarian workers, according to Sugiono. Jakarta doesn’t see sea routes as an alternative to land-based delivery, which many have considered the most effective way to get into the war-torn enclave.

“While I welcome international efforts to open a maritime corridor, let us be clear: this must not come at the expense of securing land-based humanitarian access, which remains Gaza’s most urgent lifeline,” Sugiono said.

France and Saudi Arabia will co-chair a conference on ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in New York later this month. Sugiono revealed Indonesia planned to urge the UN Security Council to “act decisively” by adopting a resolution aimed at ending the blockade. This legally binding resolution should ensure sustained humanitarian access.

The pro-Palestinian group Freedom Flotilla Coalition was operating the Gaza-bound Madleen. European Union lawmaker Rima Hassan was part of the detained 12-strong crew. The desperately needed aid included food and baby formula. 

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