SICILY, ITALY -— The largest humanitarian mission to break the Gaza blockade, the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), continues to capture the world’s attention after the Israeli Navy (IDF) forcibly hijacked a number of ships in international waters. The incident, which occurred on Thursday (October 2, 2025), resulted in the abduction of hundreds of activists from dozens of countries, sparking strong condemnation from various parties, including Indonesia.
From Sicily, Italy, a live report was delivered by Wanda Hamidah, an Indonesian politician, actress, and activist who was part of the convoy.
“Today, October 2, Israel, Israeli forces have kidnapped Global Sumud Flotilla activists and stopped humanitarian aid,” Wanda said in her report.
Wanda Hamidah emphasized that Israel’s actions were illegal. The GSF ship, which was carrying vital aid such as formula milk, food, water filters, and oxygen machines, was stopped in international waters and even in Palestinian waters.
She also highlighted that obstructing humanitarian missions is illegal, especially since these missions are guaranteed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ, said Wanda, had previously stated that Israel faces charges of genocide and prohibited the obstruction of humanitarian aid to Palestine.
“This is an illegal act because these waters do not belong to Zionist Israel,” she said.
“The International Court of Justice or ICJ has said that Israel has committed genocide. The International Court of Justice or ICJ has said that no one should obstruct humanitarian missions to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people who, to this day, are being brutally and indiscriminately killed, reportedly to the point of death, bombed, their schools and homes destroyed, journalists killed, and we can no longer allow this,” added Wanda.
This GSF mission is the largest civilian convoy carrying out a humanitarian peace mission in an effort to break the Gaza blockade. The fleet consists of more than 40 ships with around 500 volunteers from 44 countries, including members of parliament and lawyers.
The latest information shows that at least 22 ships have been hijacked and hundreds of participants have been kidnapped by the IDF in international waters. Meanwhile, the fate of 18 other ships has been confirmed lost.
Read also: Global Sumud Flotilla Attacked by Drones, Italy and Spain Deploy Warships for Escort
Amidst these events, one of the GSF activists from Indonesia, M. Husein Gaza, managed to send a message at 7:00 p.m. Western Indonesian Time on the same day. Through his personal Instagram account, he confirmed that those on the observer ship, the Summertime-Jong (consisting of 21 people) and the Shireen, were in good condition.
“We continue to try to reach a safer location to save documents and evidence of Israeli crimes during the Global Sumud Flotilla mission,” he said.
Responding to Israel’s actions that hindered humanitarian efforts, Dompet Dhuafa also voiced strong condemnation. Ahmad Juwaini, Chairman of Dompet Dhuafa, through a statement on social media, strongly condemned these actions.
“We, Dompet Dhuafa, regret the obstruction, seizure of ships, and arrest of Global Sumud Flotilla activists, and condemn Israel’s actions,” he said.
Ahmad Juwaini also urged the Indonesian government and other countries to exert strong diplomatic and political pressure. The goal is to ensure that the arrested GSF activists are released, the seized ships are returned, and humanitarian aid is allowed to be distributed to the suffering people of Gaza.
At the end of her report, Wanda Hamidah called on all Indonesians and the world to condemn Israel and urge the Indonesian government to escort the GSF mission by land, sea, and air.
“I, Wanda Hamidah, would like to appeal to the 8 billion people of the world and to all Indonesians to condemn the government, condemn Zionist Israel, and urge the Indonesian people to put pressure on the Indonesian government to escort the Global Sumud Flotilla mission from land, sea, and air,” she reiterated.
Read also: Enthusiasm, Difficult Decisions, and Strong Support for Indonesia Global Peace Convoy
Although most of the GSF fleet was stopped, there are reports that a single ship, Mikeno, managed to break through the blockade and enter Gaza’s territorial waters. The success of the Mikeno ship is a glimmer of hope amid the darkness of piracy on the high seas.
Bismillah, let us continue to offer our best prayers and donations through digital.dompetdhuafa.org/donasi/jagapalestina to help provide food, medicine, and other basic necessities for Palestine. Every bit of help we give is a breath of fresh air for those who are besieged! (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text: Dhika
Photo: Wanda Hamidah
Editor: Dedi Fadlil