Jakarta. Israel had freed all 9 Indonesians whom they had captured at sea for trying to get past the Gaza blockade, the government confirmed on Thursday evening. 

Nine Indonesians and hundreds of other Gaza-bound activists had to spend days in Israeli detention. Israel had intercepted their ships near Cyprus earlier this week when the flotilla tried to deliver humanitarian aid to the war-battered enclave. 

The said Indonesians are now en route to Istanbul after Israel decided to free the activists. They are expected to go to Jakarta from the Turkish city, according to Foreign Minister Sugiono.

“We’d like to thank the Turkish government for its active role and full support in facilitating the repatriation,” Sugiono said in a recorded video statement.

Sugiono described the latest developments as the "fruits of hard work and close coordination".

“The government will monitor the repatriation process until they all return home safely.”

The minister did not say when the flotilla activists would land in Jakarta.

The deportation followed a global outrage after Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself taunting the flotilla activists. 

“Indonesia condemns the inhumane treatment towards the [Global Sumud Flotilla 2.0] volunteers during detention,” Sugiono said, alluding to Ben-Gvir’s actions. 

Jakarta slammed it as a “serious violation of international humanitarian law”.

Three of the detained Indonesians are journalists.

Indirect Approach

The government has repeatedly stated that it had taken advantage of “all diplomatic channels” to secure the release as Jakarta stayed away from directly contacting Israel. This includes reaching out to countries such as Turkey and Jordan, whose nationals are among the abductees. 

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Yvonne Mewengkang told the press that “Indonesia does not engage in direct talks with Israel”, citing the absence of diplomatic relations.

Vahd Nabyl A Mulachela, another spokesperson, denied that the shared membership in the Board of Peace automatically meant immediate communications or ties with Tel Aviv. 

Indonesia and Israel are part of the controversial body set up by US President Donald Trump to oversee the reconstruction of the war-battered Gaza.

Jakarta  has kept a decades-long stance of not recognizing Israel as part of its steadfast support for Palestine. Even so, Indonesian and Israeli companies are still doing business with one another, as export-import activities totaled $62 million in Q1 2026, Trade Ministry data showed.