Indonesian Military Ready to Send Hospital Ship to Gaza, Commander Says

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Commander of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Admiral Yudo Margono stated that he is ready to deploy a naval hospital ship to provide medical assistance to Palestinian victims in the Gaza Strip, confirming that the personnel and fleet are fit for the task.

“The KRI (Indonesian warship) is ready because it's a new ship. I'm sure that the crew and medical personnel are also ready,” Yudo said at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

However, the TNI must first coordinate with the Egyptian government to send the hospital ship to the waters near Gaza. “We have three hospital ships equipped with sophisticated medical equipment,” he added.

Indonesia`s Naval Hospital Ship KRI dr Soeharso.

According to Yudo, the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip is incredibly dangerous, so the TNI cannot send aid there carelessly. “In Javanese language, the war is 'ampyak awur-awur', which means it's a war that has no rules. That, is very dangerous.”

Earlier, Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto said Indonesia had offered to send a naval hospital ship to Palestine during a visit by Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia Zuhair Al Shun.

“We discussed in detail our plans to send a hospital ship,” Prabowo said after a closed-door meeting at the Defense Ministry Building, Central Jakarta, Jakarta, on Monday, Nov. 6.

Prabowo also expressed his readiness to fly to Cairo to coordinate the delivery of the hospital ship and various other humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

“With the President's permission, I am ready to go to Cairo to coordinate with the Egyptian Defense Minister and perhaps to meet with several figures in the region,” Prabowo said.

ANTARA

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