Indonesia Plans Humanitarian Aid Delivery to Gaza and Sudan Conflict Victims
Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) of Indonesia has announced its intention to provide social assistance to civilians affected by the conflicts in Gaza, Palestine, and Khartoum, Sudan, starting next week.
Head of BNPB, Suharyanto, revealed on Tuesday that the assistance would include medicines and health equipment from Indonesia, to be transported via Garuda aircraft.
“We aim to dispatch the aid next week, pending final discussions with the task force comprising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health,” Suharyanto stated.
Pending any significant hurdles, the humanitarian aid from Indonesia will be dispatched twice to refugee camps housing victims of the Palestinian and Sudanese conflicts, he added.
The total aid package amounts to US$1 million from the Indonesian Government, supplemented by additional contributions from domestic volunteers.
“For Palestine, the Egyptian government, which is currently overseeing displaced individuals, will directly oversee distribution upon arrival,” explained Suharyanto.
He expressed confidence that the aid delivery would proceed smoothly, aiding in the medical treatment of conflict victims in Palestine and Sudan. Since 2023, Indonesia has conducted six successful aid deliveries to conflict zones.
One such delivery involved the Indonesian Navy’s hospital ship, KRI Dr. Radjiman Wedyodiningrat-992, which departed on January 18, 2024, and reached the Port of Al Arish in the Sinai Peninsula on the Mediterranean coast on February 13, 2024.
The hospital ship transported 80 trucks laden with humanitarian aid, including diapers, clothing, food, medicines, and blankets, handed over to the Egyptian Red Crescent for onward transportation to Rafah, the closest entry point to Gaza, Palestine.
