Indonesian Volunteer Evacuated from Gaza to Return Home

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An Indonesian volunteer of the Medical and Humanitarian Institute (MER-C) in the Gaza Strip was evacuated to Egypt last weekend and would return home. The volunteer Farid Zanzabil Al-Ayubi was scheduled to leave for Indonesia today, Dec. 12. 

Farid was one of three Indonesian volunteers who decided to stay in the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza amid the relentless Israeli attacks. However, due to the deteriorating situation in the besieged enclave, he agreed to be evacuated.

The Indonesian government began the process of evacuating its citizens in early November 2023, and at least ten Indonesians have been evacuated outside of Gaza thus far. 

“He (Farid) is still at the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo and we plan to fly him back to Indonesia on Tuesday, Dec. 12,” the Indonesian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Lalu Muhammad Iqbal said on Tuesday, Dec.

However, he stopped short of detailing when Farid would land in Indonesia and through which airport.

The evacuation process began on Saturday, Dec. 9. The ministry confirmed that Farid managed to leave Gaza and was picked up by the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo at the Rafah border crossing, the only crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. 

MER-C chairman Sarbini Abdul Murad confirmed that Fikri and Reza would remain in Gaza to continue the mission and humanitarian assistance mandated by the Indonesian people for the Palestinian people.

UN Special Rapporteur on Food Michael Fakhri said the current situation in Gaza is increasingly critical with almost every person in Gaza facing starvation as Israel continues to bombard the enclave. More than 18,200 Palestinians have died in Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023, according to Gaza health authorities.

NABIILA AZZAHRA A.

Editor's Choice: Govt to Evacuate Indonesian Volunteers in Gaza

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