Government Still Trying to Evacuate Indonesians from Gaza

Jakarta – The government has been trying to evacuate 10 Indonesian citizens from the Gaza Strip every day during an escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi emphasized. 

"Almost every day I communicate with representatives of our citizens in Gaza. However, the evacuation could not be done yet because the situation is still very difficult," Minister Marsudi remarked in a press statement on the development of the Gaza situation, on Wednesday. 

The Minister also said that she has been communicating with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and various parties who can help carry out the safe evacuation of Indonesian citizens.

"We will mobilize all efforts to evacuate Indonesian citizens safely,"

Based on the ministry's data, the 10 Indonesian citizens trapped in Gaza comprise 3 MER-C volunteers at the Indonesian Hospital and 7 Indonesian nationals who are married to locals.

Minister Marsudi explained that the evacuation of Indonesian citizens can only be carried out if a ceasefire is agreed upon between the two nations, which have witnessed an escalation in conflict since the Hamas group attacked Israeli territory on October 7, 2023.

Meanwhile, on October 13, the Indonesian government successfully evacuated 4 Indonesian citizens from the West Bank and surrounding areas.

Then, as many as 129 Indonesian citizens living in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and parts of the West Bank chose not to return to their home country because they felt their situation was still safe.