TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Nine Indonesian citizens who participated in the humanitarian mission called Global Sumud Flotilla have returned to Indonesia after being abducted by Israel while sailing towards Gaza. The hundreds of volunteers who were carrying humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people were subjected to torture by the Israeli military.
Heru Rahendro, an iNews journalist, was one of the victims of the Israeli military violence. He describes being forced to endure exposure to the sun for two to five hours during the day.
Heru stated that the torture occurred before the Global Sumud Flotilla volunteers were taken to the Israeli immigration authorities. "We were forced to lie face down under the scorching sun. Israeli songs were played repeatedly for two hours," he said at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten on Sunday, May 24, 2026.
The Israeli military would shout loudly if any Global Sumud Flotilla volunteer was caught not lying face down while being exposed to the sun. He said that the treatment was very exhausting.
"Volunteers suffered injuries to their backs and heads. I myself was injured on my back because I was also stepped on," he said.
Sexual violence was also experienced by the Global Sumud Flotilla volunteers. According to Heru's testimony, Israel stripped activists naked and took photos of them. "I don't know what their purpose was," he said.
A similar treatment was also experienced by Andre Prasetyo, a TV Tempo journalist who joined the Global Sumud Flotilla humanitarian mission to break the Gaza blockade. He said he went on a hunger strike for three days.
"I only ate and drank a little before being thrown into Asdod," Andre said at Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
Torture was not limited to restricting food and drink intake. Andre said that during their detention in Israel, the Global Sumud Flotilla activists were subjected to various forms of physical violence. "My friend from Europe was shot with rubber bullets. We were woken up by the sound of explosions," he said.
There were also bruises on Andre's arms. Andre said that the injuries were caused by cable ties being forcibly bound to the hands of the Global Sumud Flotilla volunteers.
However, Andre stated that the suffering he experienced was incomparable to what the Palestinian people have endured. "So let's not forget to continue to support the independence of Palestine. I ask the government to continue diplomatic efforts," he said.
Read: Global Sumud Flotilla Activists on Israeli Detention: Hunger Strike, Physical Violence
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