TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Humanitarian organization MER-C Indonesia said that 12 of their volunteers that are still stuck in southern Gaza are staying in a guest house, Antara reported.

"The team is currently staying in a guest house, a house that we rented to serve as a place for our friends to stay," said MER-C Indonesia Emergency Medical Team Head Arief Rachman at a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.

According to Arief Rachman, the volunteer team goes to the hospital or clinic every day and returns to the guest house.

In southern Gaza, there are three locations where the volunteers are assigned: Abu Yusuf An-Najjar Hospital, Al Hilal Al Emirati Mother and Child Hospital, and Tal Al-Sultan Clinic.

However, due to the Israeli military attack in Rafah, southern Gaza, on May 6, 2024, Abu Yusuf An-Najjar Hospital and Al Hilal Al Emirati Mother and Child Hospital are now in the danger zone.

"So, our friends who used to work at Abu Yusuf An-Najjar Hospital and Al Hilal Al Emirati Mother and Child Hospital can no longer work there; they can only work at Tal Al-Sultan Clinic, which is currently still a relatively safe area," he said.

After the Israeli military attack in Rafah, southern Gaza, on May 6, 2024, 12 MER-C Indonesia volunteers are still stuck in southern Gaza because the Rafah border crossing was closed.

The twelve volunteers consist of one plastic surgeon, one orthopedic surgeon, one family medicine specialist, one general practitioner, four nurses, three non-medical staff members, and one midwife.

The volunteer team was supposed to return to Cairo as their assignment in southern Gaza had been completed.

According to Arief Rachman, the Rafah border crossing closure has disrupted the humanitarian teams' entry and exit.

"The closure of the Rafah border crossing in Gaza is very problematic because it disrupts the flow of entry and exit for humanitarian teams," he said.

ANTARA

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