On May 18, 2026, Israeli authorities arrested Rahendro Herubowo, an Indonesian freelance journalist who contributes to Global Peace Convoy Indonesia (GPCI), while he was aboard the Ozgurluk, a vessel in theGlobal Sumud Flotilla, an aid convoy attempting to break the blockade on Gaza.
He was among the flotilla participants deported to Istanbul, Turkey, on May 21, after three days and three nights in Israeli custody. He returned to Indonesia on May 24 and underwent medical treatment for his injuries.
Herubowo told Arab News that he was thrown onto the deck of an Israeli military ship converted into a detention vessel, where he and fellow detainees were forced to lie on soaking floors before being moved into a large container where armed, masked soldiers, continued assaulting them.
Herubowo said detainees were beaten on the stomach and waist and were forced to walk in a crouched position. He recounted falling to the ground, and screaming, while being kicked, stepped on, and tasered before the soldiers released him into the main detention area. The container they were in, he said, held approximately 180 people, who were not provided with adequate water or necessary medical aid. Whilst in there, he said soldiers pointed their guns and shouted and threw stun grenades to force detainees into tighter corners.
Adalah, a Palestinian-run legal rights group representing some of the detainees, told CPJ that all detainees had faced alleged abuses, including restricted access to lawyers, humiliation, and violence.
In a video published on X, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir can be heard yelling, “welcome to Israel, we are the landlords,” while waving a large Israeli flag over dozens of detainees kneeling side by side on the floor, their hands tied behind their backs and their heads lowered to the ground. Another video shows security forces violently throwing a handcuffed activist to the ground after the activist shouts “free Palestine” at Ben Gvir. The minister also said the detainees should be imprisoned for “a long, long time.”
In response to an email requesting comment, the Israel Defense Forces told CPJ it “rejects allegations of abuse by IDF soldiers during the operations,” adding that any “concrete complaints submitted to the IDF on the matter will be examined thoroughly.” CPJ’s email requesting comment from the office of Ben-Gvir did not receive a response.