Director General of Immigration Hendarsam Marantoko said on Monday that he personally monitored the immigration clearance process for the returning Indonesians at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten.
“Our focus at that time was to facilitate the immigration clearance process by providing a special lane,” he stated.
The special lane was provided when the nine Indonesians arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Sunday, May 24, after being detained by Israeli authorities.
The service was aimed at helping them return home quickly and reunite with their families following the humanitarian mission to Gaza.
Marantoko explained that the special lane was separated from regular passenger lanes, enabling faster immigration inspections and document processing for the nine Indonesians.
The returning volunteers of GSF 2.0 were welcomed by Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono at Soekarno-Hatta Airport on Sunday afternoon.
Sugiono said the successful release and repatriation of the Indonesian participants in the GSF 2.0 humanitarian mission resulted from intensive coordination carried out by the Indonesian government.
According to him, the ministry’s Directorate for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens optimized diplomatic channels by involving five Indonesian diplomatic missions in strategic locations.
The missions included the Indonesian embassies and consulate general in Ankara, Istanbul, Amman, Cairo, and Rome.
Previously, vessels participating in the GSF 2.0 humanitarian mission carrying the nine Indonesians were intercepted by Israeli forces in waters near Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean on May 18 and 19, 2026.
They were later detained in Ashdod, Israel.
Following a series of diplomatic and consular efforts by the Indonesian government, along with support from various parties including GSF and Global Peace Convoy Indonesia (GPCI), the nine Indonesians were released on May 21, 2026.
The nine Indonesians included three journalists and six GPCI volunteers, Bambang Naroyo from Republika, Thoudy Badai Rifan Billah from Republika, and Andre Prasetyo Nugroho from Tempo.
The six GPCI volunteers were Herman Budianto Sudarsono and Ronggo Wirasanu from Dompet Dhuafa, Andi Angga Prasadewa from Rumah Zakat, Asad Aras Muhammad from GPCI-Spirit of Aqsa, Hendro Prasetyo from GPCI-Smart 171, and Rahendro Herubowo from the GPCI media team and media contributor network.
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Translator: Laily Rahmawaty, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Primayanti
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