Humanitarian Aid to Gaza Ready to be Sent by Indonesia

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government, with several humanitarian agencies, is ready to send humanitarian assistance for Gaza Strip's residents affected by the latest conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group, Hamas.

"This is in line with President Joko Widodo's order to Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi to coordinate the delivery of aid to Gaza, both from the government and from the community," spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, stated in a press conference on Wednesday, November 1, 2023.

Iqbal remarked that the humanitarian aid will comprise goods needed by the Palestinian people and will be delivered at the end of this week. The details of the aid delivery are still being discussed between the government and several organizations involved.

"This aid will be sent to Egypt first and handed over to the Egyptian Red Crescent, then distributed to Gaza by UNRWA. Egyptian Red Crescent is the only organization allowed to deliver aid into Gaza," Iqbal remarked.

The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) had also contributed to sending humanitarian aid comprising healthy kit, generators, and oxygen cylinders worth Rp2.9 billion to Gaza residents.

"Until now, we are still waiting for approval from the UN agency that can confirm what types of aid can enter Gaza," PMI officer Niniek Kun Naryatie remarked.

Meanwhile, the Indonesia Humanitarian Alliance (IHA) has collected support of up to Rp5 billion from the community that will be distributed in stages to Gaza.

In the first period, IHA will provide assistance in the form of ready-to-eat food, blankets, and mattresses. The delivery will be coordinated with the government this weekend.

The National Alms Agency (Baznas) was also able to collect public donations amounting to Rp10 billion and will continue to collect donations until reaching the target of Rp20 billion.

These funds were collected not only through Baznas representative offices spread across all provinces, districts, and cities in Indonesia but also from individual collection partners, including the Kitabisa platform, ayobantu.com, Shopee, Tokopedia, Bukalapak, and Blibli.

"It is our responsibility to ensure this aid delivery to Gaza. According to the aid items recommended by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we will send food, medicine, hygiene kits, clothes, and blankets," Baznas' Deputy for Distribution and Utilization, Imdadun Rahmat, stated.

Plans to send Indonesian humanitarian aid to Gaza are still being coordinated, especially by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance through the International Development Cooperation Fund (LDKPI), the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Health, Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), and the National Police.

ANTARA

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