Indonesian government ready to send hospital ship for Palestinians

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: The Indonesian government is ready to send its hospital ship to the waters near Gaza, Palestine, to provide medical treatments to the victims of Israeli assaults, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto stated.

Subianto revealed that the Indonesian government is planning to coordinate with countries in the vicinity of the Palestinian Gaza Strip, including Egypt, to obtain approval for sending the hospital ship.

“We will coordinate with Egyptian authorities. TNI (Indonesian Defense Forces) is ready to send a hospital ship that will be on standby there to provide more assistance,” he remarked when met at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, Jakarta, on Saturday.

The minister also spoke of having informed Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia, Zuhair Al Shun, that Indonesia is always ready to help war victims from Palestine.

Earlier, Minister Subianto accompanied President Joko Widodo during the send-off of Indonesian humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base on Saturday.

On that occasion, President Widodo told the media that the government had planned on delivering humanitarian aid for Palestinian people in two batches.

“This is the first batch of aid, consisting of food, medical equipment, blankets, tents, and other logistics, needed by the people in Gaza. The aid weighs 51.5 tons and is carried by three aircraft,” he remarked.

He then noted that the aid serves as proof of the Indonesian nation’s solidarity and care for the people in Gaza currently suffering from a humanitarian tragedy brought by Israeli forces.

“The humanitarian tragedy in Gaza is unacceptable and must be put to an end as soon as possible,” Widodo affirmed.

Two C-130 Hercules aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force and one Boeing 737 plane chartered by the National Police (Polri) have been deployed to deliver humanitarian aid.

A total of 42 flight crew and two officials from the Defense Ministry have been assigned to execute the delivery duty.

The three aircraft took off from Jakarta and will reach El Ashir, Egypt, via several countries. In Egypt, the aid will be handed over to the country’s Red Crescent before being delivered to Gaza by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).