Indonesian Family Evacuated from Gaza Arrives in Cairo

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An Indonesian citizen, Abdillah Onim, and his family were successfully evacuated from Gaza on Thursday night, Nov. 2 Egyptian time, or Friday midnight Indonesian time. They have passed through the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

“Alhamdulillah, praise be to God, on November 2 at around 7 p.m. Egyptian time, four Indonesian citizens and one Indonesian's wife were successfully evacuated from Gaza and arrived in Rafah,” Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a press conference in Jakarta, Friday, Nov. 3.

The Indonesian nationals and the evacuation team arrived in Cairo at 3 a.m. local time after a journey of about seven hours covering a distance of 367 kilometers. "The evacuation trip was not easy, once again, not easy," Retno said.

She revealed that it took three attempts before Onim's family finally managed to safely leave the besieged enclave. “On November 1, they tried to reach Rafah, but they had to return because of the unsafe situation. “There were attacks along the road,” she said.

The second attempt was made on Thursday morning but failed again due to the situation. The evacuation effort was fruitful in the third attempt on Thursday afternoon. “What makes this evacuation process even more difficult is the communication, which is always on and off,” the minister added.

Retno thanked God and all parties for their cooperation in the successful evacuation.

One more family still not evacuated

However, Retno confirmed that the ministry was still trying to evacuate another family, consisting of a father and two children, and his Palestinian wife, who are trapped in Gaza. “Yesterday, November 2, they arrived at the Rafah gate [Gaza side], but administrative issues are still being managed and resolved,” Retno said.

Muhammad Hussein's family lives in southern Gaza, which is closer to the Rafah border than northern Gaza. Under normal conditions, the travel time is only about 20 minutes, Retno informed.

However, she emphasized that the administrative process for leaving Gaza was very strict and involved many key parties there. “We didn't experience this in the previous evacuation process,” she added.

Retno Marsudi hoped the Rafah border crossing would remain open on Friday, which is a holiday in Arab countries, as this would facilitate the evacuation process. “I’ve conveyed these hopes and requests to the Egyptian Foreign Minister last night,” she said.

NABIILA AZZAHRA ABDULLAH

Editor's Choice: Hospitals in Gaza Near Collapse; Indonesia Seeking Access to Supply Fuel

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo in Google News