Indonesia Condemns Israeli Takeover of Palestinian Rafah Crossing

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia condemned the Israeli military attack in the Palestinian city of Rafah and the forced takeover of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that any attempt to forcibly transfer or expel Palestinians, including from Rafah, was unacceptable and amounted to the ultimate crime against humanity.

The ministry issued the statement on its X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, May 7.

The Israeli military seized the only border crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza on Tuesday morning, May 7, cutting off a vital aid route to Palestine already on the brink of famine.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said seizing the crossing was a "very significant step" toward Israel's aim of crippling Hamas' military capabilities.

The United States and the United Nations have warned Israel not to launch a military operation in the city, which is a refuge for more than half of Gaza's population.

The Indonesian government reiterates its call to immediately realize a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and remove all obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office (UN OCHA), confirmed that Israel had shut both the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings, two entry points for humanitarian aid into Gaza by land, as part of its military operation in Rafah. 

Laerke underlined that the UN agencies have very low stocks of humanitarian supplies in the Gaza Strip. “If no fuel comes in for a prolonged period of time, it would be a very effective way of putting the humanitarian operation in its grave,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hamas official Osama Hamdan warned Tuesday that there would be no truce if Israeli military aggression in Rafah continued. “The decision is in Netanyahu's hands,” he said at a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon as a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo from Doha for ceasefire talks.

Indonesia further called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to stop “Israel’s brutal atrocities immediately” and prevent an even greater humanitarian catastrophe.

NABIILA AZZAHRA A. | REUTERS

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