CPJ calls on Israel to release press detained on Gaza-bound flotilla

Beirut, May 19, 2026 —The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israeli authorities to immediately release all journalists and media workers detained after Israeli forces intercepted vessels from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, and to disclose the location and legal status of those being held.

According to organizers, on May 18, Israeli forces began intercepting vessels in international waters near the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, as they attempted to reach Gaza on a humanitarian mission. The flotilla media office told CPJ the following morning that those detained were still being held at sea and had not yet been taken to Israel for deportation, as had occurred in previous attempts to break Israel’s maritime blockade of the Palestinian territory.

CPJ has identified at least seven journalists and media workers aboard the flotilla.

“Israel’s interception and detention of journalists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla follows years of documented arrests, attacks, and killings of journalists and media workers covering Gaza and attempts to report on it,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “International law is clear that journalists performing legitimate reporting are civilians and must not be arbitrarily detained or obstructed. Israeli authorities must immediately release all detained journalists and end the cycle of impunity surrounding the attacks on the press.”

Tempo Media Group, an Indonesian media company, said in a May 19 statement that its reporter Andre Prasetyo Nugroho was among those detained by Israeli forces. .

The flotilla departed from Marmaris, Turkey, on May 14 with dozens of vessels and hundreds of participants from multiple countries, according to media reports.

CPJ emailed the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for comment, and was referred to the foreign ministry, which did not respond to specific inquiries about the detention of journalists and media workers aboard the flotilla.